Frozen Solid Fics November
by AvatarHufflepuff
Summary: From Nov. 1st-26th I will upload a story a day based on a one word prompt. Day 26: Stardust
1. Forest

Forest

Mama liked to take them on picnics often in the summer. While their father was usually too busy to attend it was a nice retreat from the cold palace, even if Elsa never did truly feel comfortable around her mother the way Anna did. This week, Mama had opted to take them to a little island on the fjord, covered in trees like a miniature forest overlooking the kingdom. "This spot will do nicely, don't you think girls?" Mama asked. Elsa looked over at the patch of grass and nodded. Anna bounced into the clearing.

"It's a perfect view of the castle Mama! I wonder if we could see Papa if he waved really big!" Anna demonstrated her biggest wave and her awkward 14-year-old body fell right over. She laughed and swung her arms as if to make a snow angel in the grass.

"I don't think your father could spot us even if we jumped up and down," Mama laughed.

"We could try," Anna said.

Elsa just stood awkwardly, hands clasped in front of her. Her parents gave her permission to go gloveless in the summer but Elsa knew better, even now she felt frost at the tips of her fingers. But the gloves did make her only more uncomfortable in stiffing July heat. As a child she recalled often passing out while playing with Anna in the summer. It was the first sign that something was wrong and her parents feared their precious firstborn child was diseased in some way.

Well, with the way they acted about the powers, she may as well have been diseased.

"Elsa," Mama called, "Help your sister set the table."

Elsa made brief eye contact with Anna before moving wordlessly to set out plates and utensils, always wary never to touch Anna as they circled the table placing things. She could feel her sister's eyes like a bug crawling up her neck. Anna was practically begging her to say something to her.

"I heard you practicing on the piano yesterday," she said, "It sounded quite good."

Anna's face turned redder than an apple in an instant and Elsa suppressed a grin.

"Oh! Th—thank you! I'm sure your piano's better-Not to say your actual piano because-well—we use the same one-obviously, just that you playing on piano is…better," Anna said. She slumped her shoulders and went back to setting the table.

"Thank you Anna," Elsa said.

Elsa's gloves remained on through lunch. She would have preferred Mama pick a spot closer to the shade the forest provided. As lunch continued she felt herself grow fainter. She drank her tea in thirst but the warm only upset her stomach and no food could fight the feeling of dizziness coming over her.

"How far does the kingdom go Mama?" Anna asked.

"Miles my dear, in all directions. There's villages all along the way that look to your father to protect them and lead them. And one day they will look to your sister when she is queen," Mama explained.

Anna turned to smile at Elsa and say something but stopped at the sight of her graceful, poised, and regal future queen slumped in her chair, eyes unfocused, and sweat covering her brow.

"Elsa! You look pale…well paler. Not that you're pale! Just, you have a better complexion than me—and you just look sort of…you should drink water," Anna said. For once Anna's struggles to impress her older sister did not amuse Elsa. The more Anna rambled the more frustrated Elsa became.

"Thank you, Anna," she muttered.

"She's right dear, you look a bit peaky." Mama said.

Elsa raised her head up to her mother's eyes. Mama looked at Elsa for a few seconds before understanding spread on her face. And she looked both annoyed and sympathetic.

"Your sister is not quite at home in the heat Anna." That was one way of putting it.

A light breeze rustled leaves and branches from the nearby trees and even with that slight relief Elsa was sure she was going to pass out. It wasn't even that hot out today, it was like someone through a bubble around her and raised the temperature just for her. It was always this way. How badly she simply wanted to spray a flurry of snow over herself head but Anna's silver streaked hair was facing her.

Control it. Keep breathing. It's not that hot, calm down. Calm down. Calm down…

"Elsa!" Anna cried. Elsa jumped and felt an icicle form beneath her fingers where she gripped the chair. "Your nose!"

Elsa's hand swung up to her nose and pulled away a dark red stain on her green gloves. Oh, perfect. Mama rushed over and pressed her napkin to Elsa's face, not unkindly. She used her free hand to brush loose strands of near-silver hair behind Elsa's ear.

Elsa felt like crying. And she just might, whether Anna was here or not. But she might throw up first.

"Anna I hope you don't mind, but I think we'll have to cut today's luncheon short, your sister is ill," Mama said.

Ill. Your sister is ill. Elsa was ill, some disease squatted in her body at birth and never left. She was sick and always would be. Your sister is a freak, Anna. Your sister is a monster, Anna. Your sister almost killed you, Anna. Run from your sister, Anna.

Anna jumped up from her seat and moved to help Elsa up. She placed her hands on Elsa's elbow to force her to her feet. Elsa immediately jerked away and Anna looked hurt.

"I-I don't want to get you sick," Elsa mumbled through the stained napkin.

"I'll take my chances," Anna said, getting a tighter grip on Elsa's elbow.

And the type of warmth Elsa felt at her sister's touch was not stifling at all. In fact, she felt calmer with Anna's hands cradling her weakening body. And on the boat back to the castle, Elsa felt herself pass in and out of sleep with her head resting on Anna's shoulder and Anna's hand supporting the napkin until Elsa's nosebleed ceased.

She meant to move away, she meant to lift her head away and put distance between them. She meant to not touch her sister, to not hurt her. But sleeping against her shoulder was so comfortable and warm in a way Elsa never knew she could enjoy warmth. And for once Elsa was contented by Anna's presence, the stress of harming her drained from her body.

Elsa would have to remind Mama to pick a spot closer to the forest next time.


	2. Brother

Brother

Kristoff understood parents, he understood siblings, and he understood these are things he never had and would never have. He understood the cold and the ice and the wilderness in a way he would never understand family, at least not in the sense of someone who knew their family, their real family. Sometimes he imagined his father was a king and he was stolen away at birth by an evil witch, or that his parents died heroically fighting off enemy invaders of Arendelle.

He understood that he was a subject of the kingdom of Arendelle. He'd been told by people he sold ice to from a young age that he lived in a kingdom called Arendelle and that by virtue he was unwavering loyal to the king and would one day be unwavering loyal to his daughter the queen-to-be.

Kristoff understood brother from the very beginning though.

Kristoff had been six years old when he first found Sven, huddled alone against a tree stump in the snow.

"A moose?" he approached the animal. No, it was a baby reindeer, separated from its herd. "Hey little guy, I'm a little guy too."

The reindeer responded only in minuscule amounts to Kristoff's voice as he tried to approach him as slowly as possible but the crunching of snow beneath his feet made a stealthy approach impossible and the reindeer grew restless.

"I just want to say hi," Kristoff said. The reindeer struggled to get to its feet and Kristoff stopped.

He dug through his bag and produced a carrot. As far as his arm could stretch he reached out with the carrot, offering it to the reindeer. And the reindeer for his part had become intrigued, he made no move to come closer to Kristoff but he stopped struggling to get as far away as possible.

"Yeah, you like carrots huh?"

As if understanding him, the reindeer made a move to slide a bit closer to Kristoff. He stayed still like a block of ice. The reindeer scuttled closer, now only staring at the carrot, his thoughts clearly devoid of Kristoff. With shaky limbs the reindeer reached the carrot and bit down tightly, pulling the food from Kristoff's hand and beginning to chomp down on it.

"You must be really hungry, I have more," Kristoff offered a few more carrots. The reindeer bounced between them eating as quickly as possible. "You know, I could feed you more carrots. I could be the person who feeds you carrots."

Only after the last carrot disappeared did the reindeer look at Kristoff, this time with curiosity and wide eyes. Kristoff raised his hand and the reindeer's eyes followed it closely. He let his hand hang in the air, waiting for the reindeer to meet him halfway.

"It might be nice finding food for someone else too, it's probably what family feels like."

The reindeer moved forward and allowed his head to brush Kristoff's fingers. And then it came closer and nuzzled his hand. After a few minutes the reindeer was curled against his side in the snow and Kristoff was lazily brushing his hand over his fur.

"Can I give you a name?" Kristoff asked. The reindeer let out a snort in his sleep. "Okay. I like Sven. When you wake up I'll let you know that's your name."

Eventually the reindeer did wake and Kristoff carried him through the forest to save his shaky legs. He seemed to accept the name as he curled into Kristoff's shoulder and let out a snort of content.

"You'll be my brother. I never had one before but you like you haven't either. So it's perfect," Kristoff said.

Eventually Kristoff stopped carrying Sven and Sven started carrying him. And even when Kristoff refused to give Sven a carrot the reindeer stuck around. They wer each other's pillows, meal partners, wingmen, and best friends. And the strangest pair of brothers anyone had ever seen.


	3. Nightmare

Nightmare

When Elsa and Anna still shared a room Mama would tuck them in at night (the practice stopped after the two were forced to separated rooms when Anna was five). Anna learned in that short time she and her sister shared quarters that Elsa was far more prone to uncomfortable dreams than Anna, and the occasional complete nightmare that left Elsa screaming for Mama.

"Elsa it was just a dream!" Anna assured while her sister rambled about the snow burying them all or the ice freezing the whole kingdom.

Had Anna been allowed to retain memory of her sister's magic she would remember why exactly Elsa woke screaming while snow flurries covered the room. But all Anna could now recall was the sound of her sister's whimpers, her fear of the winter, and their mother coming in to sing a lullaby to her from an old fairy tale about an orphaned princess.

_Hush now darling, beautiful thing_

_Royal girl, young and wild, and green_

_One day when you're grown and wise_

_You will be a queen_

There were other verses telling the princess to be brave, teaching her to be a good ruler and to be fair to the people but Elsa usually dropped off after the first verse. Anna elected to try singing the lullaby to Elsa next time she woke up just like Mama but she never got the chance.

Over night the two were forced into separate bedrooms and Anna laid awake many nights in the beginning thinking about Elsa, alone in her room, dreaming of snow. She considered checking on Elsa now and again, as if she was the older sister, but the door was always locked and the older Anna got the less she tried knocking on the door of a girl who never answered.

After their parents died though, Anna renewed her efforts to get Elsa to speak more than three word sentences to her. At the funeral Elsa did not speak and even while Anna was weeping in the pouring snow Elsa's face was stone. Anna assumed, with the rest of the kingdom, it was some sort of solemn acceptance as ruler now. But in the confines of their castle Elsa did not shed a tear that Anna could see. Anna guessed Elsa took to her locked room to cry and she pounded on the door and Elsa never answered.

"I know you hurt too, you're not made of ice," Anna said against the door.

The next few months Elsa spent every waking moment in the library refining her languages, memorizing the names of kings and queens and country capitals, learning the trade goods of the kingdom, studying the Bible and military tactics.

One night Anna found her sister laid straight out on the chaise in front of one of the fire places, neatly stacked piles of books and papers formed a perimeter around the chair. She was still dressed in her dinner gown and the tight bun that was once her hair was springing loose in places.

Anna walked as carefully as she could across the carpeted library floor. And she stepped ever so gingerly right into a bookshelf. With a groan she looked over to see Elsa still asleep.

"Ugh, who put that there?" she said rubbing her forehead. She settled a few steps away from the offending bookshelf.

She buried her head into _Macbeth_ (she was secretly trying to outdo Elsa in who could memorize more quotes) and just when Lady Macbeth prepared to go in and kill the king a muffled sound of a human voice drew Anna out of Scotland and back into the library.

She turned her in the direction of the fireplace where the silhouette of Elsa was moving restlessly.

"Elsa?" she called softly. There was no answer and Anna was ready to leave it at that when she heard Elsa speak.

"No…"

It was slurred and barely a word but the fear in Elsa's voice made Anna jump from her seat and cross the floor to the dim and dying fire. Stark shadows covered Elsa's features and with her pale skin made her face seem more hallow and worn than ever.

"Elsa," Anna whispered. But that only made things worse.

"No, Anna!" the words were still slurred with sleep but Anna was sure she could see her sister sweating. And she sounded close to crying.

"Elsa I'm right here, I'm fine, you're fine," she assured. She gave gentle nudges to her sister in effort to wake her as gently as possible. Elsa's gloved hands clenched tightly and finally her eyes opened to hazy slits.

Her half lidded eyes looked directly at Anna and held her gaze with an expressionless face. She was clearly only half awake at best but the nightmare had ceased and Anna awkwardly moved her hand debating whether or not place it on Elsa's cheek as reassurance. But the woman did not like to be touched and in the past had rebutted ever attempt at hug or hand hold Anna offered.

Anna's knee bumped one of Elsa's books on the floor: _Local Fairy Tales and Folk Lore_. And Anna recalled the orphaned princess soon to be queen. Elsa was eighteen now but if the same nightmares were still plaguing her then maybe the same cure would work too.

_Hush now darling, beautiful thing_

_ Royal girl, young and wild, and green_

_ One day when you're grown and wise_

_You will be a queen_

It was as if Anna had drugged her, Elsa slipped out and relaxed. Anna's grip on Elsa's shoulders went lax and she put some distance between them as Elsa adjusted into the couch and sighed.

"You have a good voice," Elsa whispered.

Anna smiled brighter than the sun.

"You're going to be a good queen," she said.

And Anna moved away to let Elsa sleep, stopping momentarily to lay one of the blankets Mama knitted over her sister before moving back to her seat on the far end of the room where she pushed _Macbeth_ aside for _Proper Marriages and Other Royal Discourse _for her to spend the night digesting


	4. Antic

Antic

Anna found ways to get attention. Giving up knocking on Elsa's door, even after their parents died, and getting tired of talking to portraits all day Anna found ways to illicit responses out of her sister. One day when Elsa's was focused on the snow outside the window Anna spilled tea on her dress.

"Oh!" she let out a dramatic gasp and Elsa turned to see the stain on the purple dress.

"Get changed and have Erik take the dress to Helga for cleaning, it'll come out of they wash it right away," Elsa sighed and rose to her feet.

"Should I come back and finish tea with you?" Anna asked.

"No, I'll be studying in my room all afternoon."

And Elsa was out the door. Well that hadn't worked out entirely the way Anna wanted but she got more than three words out of Elsa, and besides she hated this purple dress.

She gave this a few more goes. She spilled things, knocked things over, tripped, and more often than not it wasn't entirely accidental.

But try as Anna might Elsa always slipped out of her grip. The woman was born to be a queen with the way she said a few neutral phrases and left the room, leaving Anna with no way to rebut. And she got more and more frustrated at being outwitted by Elsa who as always was determined to sit alone in any corner of the castle Anna was not in.

And at dinner one night, Anna knew before she even finished that she'd taken it too far. As Sigurd was bringing in the main course of their dinner Anna let her foot slip out in his path and the man stumbled just enough to dump the stew all over the table and into Anna's lap. She jumped up but Elsa remained seated.

A pale and very deadly gaze watched Anna from the other side of the table. Elsa's back was straight, her hands calmly on the arms of the chair as if she was sitting in a throne. Her fingers tapped pointedly and her left eyebrow curled upward dangerously and Anna knew she had been caught.

"My deepest apologies Your Highness, I'll have it cleaned immediately," Sigurd said, already moving to clean the ruined dinner.

"No," Elsa said. Anna and Sigurd looked at her in surprise, "Sigurd get a bucket of warm water, a mop and some rags and leave them out here. Then you make take your leave for the night."

"Yes, Princess," he obeyed, if confused. Elsa's eyes continued to glare at Anna who felt herself beginning to sweat under the gaze. Elsa only finally turned her gaze away when Sigurd brought in the cleaning supplies. Anna took the opportunity lightly begin to step away from the table.

"Anna," Elsa said sharply, _oh great she eyes in the back of her head_, "Go wait for me in the library."

"But—"

"Now."

Anna had no choice but to obey and huffed from the room while Elsa remained seated. In the library she paced, occasionally flinging drops of dinner over the carpet as the stain began to dry into the dress. As much as Anna knew she shouldn't have taken it to far it was Elsa fault for not paying any attention to her ever.

And then the queen-in-waiting herself strode into the room with a stern look plastered in Anna's direction. And all the words Anna had intended to fling at her sister died in her throat under the chill of Elsa's gaze.

"You have 30 seconds, explain," Elsa said. She was nothing if not always calm.

"You never pay any attention to me!"

It came out blurted as if Anna had let the cork out of a clogged Champaign bottle. It was unladylike and aggressive and messy but she couldn't stop now, she had twenty-five more seconds to lay into her sister.

"You're always rushing out of rooms and spend 15 hours a day studying in the library or locked in your room. You barely ever eat with me or say hi to me. You've done it since we were kids and I don't know why because you were my best friend and now with Mama and Papa gone you're all I have and I know I'm all you have too and you just-ugh!" Anna finally took a breath.

"Are you done?"

Anna could _kill_ her. Elsa was serene, her gloves hands clasped in front of her. Her perfect posture unaffected by how close Anna had gotten to her, up on tiptoes to try to match Elsa in height but still her sister looked down her nose at Anna's level devoid of any emotion.

"Your frustration is no excuse to cause possible harm to others, further," she cut off Anna's opening mouth, "Those others are responsible for cleaning up that mess you made with your childish antic. You will clean it up yourself, then you will retire to your room for the night."

"You're treating me like a child!"

"You are fifteen."

"And you're not queen yet!"

_That_ had been a mistake. Flashing through Elsa's blue eyes was the iciest gaze Anna had ever seen and if looks could kill they'd be organizing her state funeral as they spoke. Elsa's glared remained and she did not speak, clearly waiting for Anna to correct herself.

"I just mean," And said, much weaker than before, "You act like I don't even exist. It's like you never know I'm there."

"I always know you're there."

A strange emotion replaced Elsa's glare. It was anger and something like sadness. And suddenly she was so much older and so much farther away. Anna was tempted to place a hand on her arm.

"I have my reasons for what I do," Elsa said, straightening. "And maybe…one day…you can understand." The tiniest of smiles grazed Elsa's face but then it was gone. "Clean up the dinning room. Go to bed. And do not do it again."

And Elsa was out the door. Anna picked up a pillow, shoved it into her face and screamed. She then tossed the pillow as hard as she could back at the couch. She wanted so badly to hate Elsa. She wanted to just say "Well she's the Princess of Arendelle and one day she'll be my queen and that's it" but Elsa would always and forever be her older sister. It was too late to hate her. She already loved her.


	5. Lost

Lost

Anna made it maybe a quarter of the way across the fjord when she slipped on the ice. Her elbow and hip made painful contain with the surface. She was already scrambling to get up, watching Elsa move farther and farter away (of course _she'd_ never slip on ice), when Hans hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her to her feet. She immediately made a break for the far shore where her sister was headed but Hans locked his arm around her torso.

"Anna she's gone," he shouted.

She continued to wriggle and kick trying to break his grip. Tears formed and one or two even spilled over as she watched Elsa, now only a dark purple blob bouncing in the distance, disappear into the dark of the forest.

"Elsa…" she breathed as she relented to Hans' grip, sinking against his chest, and allowed herself to be pulled away.

He kept an arm around her waist as they stepped over the slick ice. He looked at her expectantly a few times as if to ask her questions but she had eyes only for the ice beneath her feet where her sister had stepped and nature rearranged itself to suit her needs. Snow flurries began to fall from the sky, the air began to chill, and clouds rolled in overhead. This was Elsa.

But Elsa was lost. She was in the wilderness alone and by herself. Anna wondered if her powers would save her there too as they did on the fjord. Would the ice and snow protect her from wolves? Could she feel the cold that was quickly setting in all around them? Where would she sleep at night with no warm bed, only steps from Anna's own room? Anna let a few more tears fall and Hans closed his arm tighter around her.

Back at the castle people gathered in the courtyard, shivering together in their summer clothes as snow began to fall from the sky. Anna broke away from Hans when they entered, wrapping herself in her arms as she thought of Elsa's empty room tonight, they tea she wouldn't order tomorrow morning, the clothes laid out already that she wouldn't be wearing.

"Your Highness!" someone near her called. Both Anna and Hans turned expectantly, then he let out a small smile.

"Sorry, habits," he apologized but Anna only smiled and patted his arm.

The Duke was already shouting about sending a search party to arrest the queen and return her. He called her "sorceress" and "witch" and Anna grew panicked. The church would force her to abdicate if they found out. They would arrest her, probably even kill her. Sorcery was a sin. And the Duke would be proclaimed defender of the faith. Anna had to stop this.

"No! No one is going anywhere," she ordered. The townspeople and palace guards stood down immediately. With Elsa gone she was acting queen now. _I won't let you down Elsa_.

Of course the Duke had his own plans.

"You! Is there sorcery in you to? Are you a monster as well?" he demanded. Anna wanted to respond with so many things but she knew Elsa would not approve of snapping at a foreign dignitary, no matter how annoying.

"No, I'm completely ordinary. And my sister is not a monster."

Hans stepped forward to agree and the Duke continued to go on about Elsa had nearly killed him as if this was all a plot to kill him. Anna wanted to point out that Elsa had probably completely forgotten the Duke existed but she held her tongue and instead addressed her citizens.

"It was an accident," she said with resolve but remembering the terror in Elsa's face brought another wave of tears to Anna, "She was scared. She didn't mean it. She didn't mean any of this. All she's ever wanted is to be perfect and good…tonight was my fault. I pushed her," and then she decided, "So I'm the one who needs to go after her. Bring me my horse please."

There were protests everywhere. People shouting that Anna was all they had left, demanding to know who would lead them in her place. Hans warned her of the dangers, begged her not to go. The Duke scoffed about all of it. But Anna was convinced.

She refused to spend a night alone in this castle. She refused to look at Elsa's empty throne. She refused to think of her sister hungry and alone and scared out of her mind feeling hunted like an animal by her own kingdom. She wouldn't stand for it nor would she allow it. She was a princess of Arendelle and today when her sister was coronated queen she inherited Elsa's old title as _the_ Princess of Arendelle.

"Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt," Hans said. His hand clasped her own and he looked pleadingly at her.

"She's my sister," Anna said, remembering all the moments they'd spent together as children running around in the snow or playing dolls or riding their bikes through the halls chased by their nanny, "She'd never hurt me."

And that was final. Elsa had a very loud bark, as she proved tonight, but there was no bite. There was fear, and reflexes, and powerful abilities, but there were no teeth or claws.

Anna may not be the elder sister, but Elsa needed her help and her protection now. Anna thought of all those years Elsa stole away into her room and away from Anna, keeping her safely out of reach of the powers. Well now Anna would return the favor and do everything she could to save her lost sister.


	6. Mouse

Mouse

The sound of scuttling and small nails on hardwood floors woke Anna up in the middle of the night. She bolted upright and scanned the dark room for any physical sign of what was most likely a small, furry intruder. She silently waited, not daring to breath, until the sound of another small scratch sent her bolting from the bed and ripping the door near off its hinges.

She bounded down the hall to Elsa's white and blue door and pushed it open and shutting it just as quickly. She leapt onto the queen's bed, narrowly missing actually landing on her. But the bounce from Anna's weight startled Elsa awake and upon realizing Anna was in her bed she bolted up, her long silver hair swung forward in its French braid like a pendulum. She was half dazed but alerted to danger.

"Anna what's wrong?"

Elsa had always been a night person, up hours and hours past Anna's departure to bed. But that didn't mean she didn't enjoy sleeping, and once asleep she intended to stay that way as long as possible. Even when they were children Elsa had a policy of "if you're waking me up someone better be dying" with snowman building being the only exception. Now over ten years later Anna wondered if that policy was still valid.

"I think there's some kind of four legged, furry creature in my room!"

Even in the dark Anna could see on Elsa's face that yes in did that policy was still valid.

"You want to run that by me again?," Elsa said. Even in the dark Anna saw the elgent curve of her sister's eyebrow curling up dangerously. The little moonlight filtering into the room made her wintery hair glow around her face and her blue eyes shone.

"I'm serious Elsa! There's something in my room!"

"It's probably a mouse, I'm sure the castle is full of them," she said. In a swift move Elsa turned over, back to Anna, ready to go back to sleep.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Anna hissed.

"For someone being courted by a man with a reindeer I would have thought you'd have a better reaction to animals."

Anna groaned and flopped face down into Elsa's bed, letting out a sigh into one of Elsa's unused pillows. Elsa gave it a good thirty seconds before she realized Anna did not plan on leaving. She sighed and stepped out of bed grumbling about Anna in French, one of the three languages she was fluent in and her favorite one to mutter in when she was annoyed.

Elsa pulled a silk dressing gown over her silver nightgown and marched to the door as dignified as she could be while still expressing her annoyance at Anna. She opened her door and gestured out into the hallway.

"Let's go," she said.

Anna huffed and got up from Elsa's bed and walked over to the door. Elsa followed her down the hallway to Anna's still wide open door.

"How do you know it didn't get out while you were in my room?" Elsa said.

"Because I can sense him."

Elsa may have actually rolled her eye for the first time in her life if she was capable of rolling her eyes. She gestured for Anna to go in but Anna nudged Elsa in first and then stuck close to her sister's back.

"We have to be quiet to hear him," Anna whispered.

The stood in the middle of the room, Anna's hands latched her hands on Elsa's shoulders for dear life, for several minutes to the sound of nothing except for the late summer breeze.

"Well," Elsa said, "I think your little mass murder has escaped to torment someone else."

Of course the little sneak would be quiet as soon as Elsa came in the room. She let out the most regal sigh Anna had ever heard, patted her sister's head, and walked out the door towards her own room.

"Try not to get eaten by the little assassin before tomorrow morning, we have to meet with one of Grand Duke George's sons for breakfast," she said and sashayed out of the room completely, giving her hand a wave and closing Anna's door behind her with a gust of frosted air.

"Show off," Anna said when the door closed.

"I heard that," came a muffled response.

For many minutes after Elsa left Anna stayed still waiting to hear the familiar sound of the mouse but nothing happened. She huffed, kicked one of her pillows that was lying on the floor, and then dropped into her bed.

She laid silently in her bed allowing her eyes to close and allowing herself to get comfortable in the bed. She slowly began drifting off to sleep. She almost couldn't feel her body when suddenly the sound of multiple tiny paws across the wooden floor picked up again.

Anna groaned.


	7. Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

"Olaf I think this might be pushing it," Elsa said, "Or, pardon the pun, playing with fire."

Olaf was holding in his twig arms a green mug steaming with hot chocolate. He was examining the edges of the cup trying to best figure out how to drink it without risking fatal injury.

"I just gotta try it Elsa!" he said.

Elsa did have to take blame for this. When she made the little snowmanshe had no idea: that he'd pop to life or that he actually would end up liking warm hugs like she said he would. But then she still had only a limited idea of how far her powers could stretch, Grand Pabbie told her they would only keep growing but never said when that would end. She made a snowman at 8 just fine, how could she foresee making one at 21 and giving it real actual_ life_.

"I think it may be just a bit too hot for you," she said.

They were sitting in the library in front of the fire while a blustery winter storm raged outside the window. Anna and Kristoff had come in early from a sleigh ride with Sven and taken up playing cards in the first floor dining room with mugs of hot chocolate. Olaf took one look at the warm, steaming chocolate and took two straight upstairs to excitedly and thrust one in Elsa's hands. Elsa gratefully sipped her own but cringed at Olaf struggling with his.

"Is there a way you can make it work for me? Like you did with this snow cloud?" he asked gesturing to the misty fog that hung over him, currently letting down a soft flurry of snow.

"If I did it would just be frozen hot chocolate, I think that defeats the purpose of what you want," she said.

Elsa was extremely sympathetic to Olaf's plight. But she could think of no way to help him without somehow freezing the drink. He might melt completely if he tried to drink it and she wasn't sure she'd be able to bring him back.

"You know Olaf," Elsa said, gently taking the mug away from him and placing it on the floor, "Sometimes there's some things in life we just can't do."

His head dropped in a dramatic huff and the carrot nose popped from his face. Elsa kneeled down and grabbed the adornment.

"There's a lot of things I can't do either you know," Elsa said gently cradling Olaf's frozen head as she replaced the carrot.

"Like what?" he asked. Once free of her grip, he walked next to the fire, as close as he could get, and sat down doing his best to feel the warmth.

"I can't really got outside in the summer either," she said, "When I was younger I would get awful nosebleeds if it was too hot for me. And even the coolest summer day was almost unbearable for me."

"Why didn't you just make yourself a snow cloud like you did for me?" Olaf asked. He scooted closer to where Elsa sat on the floor, a safer distance from the flames.

"Because I wasn't allowed to. My parents didn't want anyone knowing about my powers. So I had to just suffer through it," she said, "Do you know I've never know what it's like to be cold? It doesn't seem all that bad but I've never known the feeling of shivering or going numb from a boot full of snow."

"Me too."

"And," Elsa added a bit more quietly, "I can never be rid of these powers."

"Would you want to be?" he asked honestly curious.

"There were many times when I wish I could be. When it felt like I was in a prison I would never escape, that I'd always be a slave to keeping them under control," Elsa explained looking at the fire as one of the logs popped and a flurry of sparks shot out like a snow storm, "But I don't anymore. In fact I think I'd sooner stop breathing then have them taken from me. They're too much a part of me. Just like who you are Olaf is too much a part of you."

Olaf frowned and waddled back over to the queen and sat down next to her. He patted her knee with his hand, Elsa smiled and returned the favor by giving his head an encouraging pat.

"Do you like summer?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "And no. I like being warm. But I don't like passing out either," she laughed, "Maybe that's why I made you. I wanted someone else like me: something cold but very, very warm.

"But that was selfish of me and I guess that didn't really work out for you," she said.

"I love the way I am!" he said jumping up to his feet. "I wouldn't trade it for anything!" he grew slightly more bashful and faced the fire, "And….I wouldn't trade you either. You're the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever!"

"I'm not entirely sure that's true but, I wouldn't trade you either," she smiled.

The little snowman continued to stare at the fireplace, next to him the hot chocolate was still steaming, full to the brim still. Elsa pulled her book from the table and stayed next to Olaf reading (and keeping an eye on how close he got to the fire) until the snowman had drifted off to sleep. Then she moved him a bit farther from the heat and onto a blanket. With every snore his nose drooped then popped back up then drooped again.

She took both mugs of hot chocolate and carried them down to the kitchens, wishing still there was a way to fix what she'd done to Olaf when she made him, unknowing, on the mountainside. She poured everything she felt in that moment into the snowman selfishly and now he was in a state of permanent paradox. But then again she should take her own advice: some things you just can't do.


	8. Ocean

Ocean

When Anna was younger Elsa explained the fjord eventually connected to the ocean and that's how Mama and Papa sailed their ships out to the other kingdoms they visited. Anna longed to see the ocean, the way her parents described the waves and the vastness. They always promised to take the girls one day.

"In a few weeks the tsar's son is getting married, and we'll bring you both to the wedding," Papa assured as he and Mama boarded their docked ship. Currently they were headed south to celebrate the birth Emperor of Austria's first child.

"I'm not even sure why we have to go," Mama said, "The emperor canceled last minute when we invited him to the celebration when Anna was born."

"It's all politics my dear, even among kings we have to play petty games," Papa said.

At 15 Anna was supposed to be well versed in what Papa was talking about but she had recently started spending most of her study time napping in the library, when Elsa didn't rat her out, that is. The girl barely said two words a day to Anna but she had no problems moving like a shadow through the library and turning her sister in.

"Elsa," Papa said sternly, "You know the procedure. In the absence of His Majesty the King you are, in according with your rank and title as Princess of Arendelle, henceforth acting queen until such a time as the King's Majesty returns. You are regent of the dominion and speak with the king's voice," he said, "Try not to declare war on anyone," he winked.

Elsa only nodded, not even a smile cracked. They'd done this procedure multiple times a year. Papa would dole out the official statement putting Elsa in charge while he was gone, then he'd come back and put out the official statement relieving Elsa of her burden.

But this time they did not come back and Elsa was forever burdened.

It was the ocean that did it. There never even made it to the emperor's ball. A storm caught them in the North Sea and the boat capsized. Only a handful of crew members survived, and of them only two lived long enough through illness and injury to get word back to Arendelle that their king was dead.

Elsa and Anna were at dinner together, silent as usual; save for the few obligatory questions from Elsa making sure Anna did her studies. Anna was about to make a joke about the pheasant they were eating when Kai, burst into the room.

He looked Elsa dead in the eyes.

"Forgive my intrusion Your Highnesses," he said, visibly shaking.

"Kai?" Elsa asked, prompting him on further. She lowered her silverware and placed her hands in her lap.

He stepped into the room, his arms were locked at his sides and he refused to break eye contact with Elsa.

"Their Majesties were lost at sea."

It was as though a ton of rocks dropped in Anna's stomach and dragged it to the floor. And Elsa turned paler than Anna had ever seen a human before and the both knew what came next.

"The king is dead," announced Kai, "Long live the queen."

An echo of "long live the queen" followed from the servants elsewhere in the room.

"Long live the queen," Anna said barely above a whisper.

"You are dismissed," Elsa said and Kai was out the door bowing, "Everyone is dismissed."

The room cleared instantly, servants off to gossip or off to cry, with only Anna and Elsa, sitting at opposite ends of the dining table. Elsa dropped into her chair, a look of pure terror covered her normally stoney face. And Anna burst into tears. But that didn't seem to register with Elsa whose eyes remained trained, wide and terrified, on the glossy wood of the dining room table.

Mama and Papa were dead. They were never coming back. She'd never hear her mother's voice again. In ten years from now would she even remember what it sounded like? The only time she'd ever see their faces again was on portraits and in fading memories. She'd never feel a hug from them ever again.

Elsa. Anna, through her teary eyes, looked to see Elsa silent and terrified at the end of the table. Elsa would be queen. She wouldn't be officially coronated until she came of age in three years but the job was already begun. Princess Elsa, one day to be queen, was permanently and irrevocably in charge of the kingdom until the day she dies.

Anna suddenly felt no desire to see the ocean as their parents talked about them doing. She didn't care for the waves, they stole her parents. It wasn't fair and it never would be.

In the days that followed she watched the fjord for hours hoping to see a glimpse of an incoming ship from the sea. Perhaps they made a mistake, at any minute Mama and Papa could come back and all would the way it should. But the ocean never gave them back.


	9. Sunset

Sunset

"I've seen sunsets before," Anna said.

"Yeah but not with me," Kristoff responded.

He was pulling her out onto the balcony. He demanded to know the highest part of the castle and then dragged Anna up to the balcony of the said guest room with the best view. If he had some sort of romantic night planned he wasn't starting off well with his tattered work clothes on, covered in dirt, and he smelled a bit like he'd been sweating all day in the woods.

"So your presence somehow fundamentally changes my sunset experience," she said.

"It might," he said.

She sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the balcony and leaned back into Kristoff's chest where he stood behind her, hands on either side of her hips to keep her from falling.

"Elsa used to get so mad at me when she caught me sitting on the balcony ledges," she said, "Actually she'd probably still get mad at me."

"Where is she?"

"Writing some letter of congratulations to one of the lords out in the countryside. He had a baby or a wedding or a new puppy or something. And by writing I mean she's talking while someone writes it down for her," Anna said.

"You mean Her Majesty Queen Elsa the Most Graceful Ever doesn't have perfect enough penmanship?" Kristoff laughed.

"'It is not the queen's obligation to handwrite anything'," Anna said, mimicking Elsa's silky voice almost too perfectly

"That's scary. You two are too alike sometimes," Kristoff said.

"We are sisters."

"Really? It's not like I heard that same phrase twenty times on our way to her fortress up on the North Mountain," he teased.

"Listen ice boy, you want me to watch this sunset or not?"

He lightly elbowed her in the ribs and she let out a giggle before she settled back into his arms.

"Point is, Elsa is off telling people to write things for her because she gets that luxury. What about Sven?" she asked.

"Sven can't write Anna…"

"No! I meant where is he you dork," Anna giggled, "In fact where's Olaf?"

"Probably following your sister around like a puppy dog," Kristoff said, "But Sven is down in the stables eating his weight in carrots. It's a special reservation up here just for us."

The sun hung above the horizon's edge and lit the water of the fjord gold in all directions. The clouds flanking the sun began to glow orange and yellow and red all at once. The sun began to pass began to move lower and lower and the mountains in the west turned to sharp silhouettes, hiding portions of the sun from view until at last only a sliver remained and the world seemed to get unimaginably quiet for only a few minutes.

"Well Your Royal Highness Princess Anna of Arendelle," Kristoff began wrapping his arms around her waist, "I brought you up here to tell you you're the most beautiful, kindest, funniest, stupidest, most caring woman in the world and that I love you."

Anna snapped her neck to look at him. She knew he loved her, Olaf had spilled those beans long ago. And she was fairly certain she loved him too. But she never heard him say it before. And now she had. She could replay it in her head as many times as she wanted, the sound of his voice telling her he loved her. It could never be taken away from her. This moment would always exist.

That's why he brought her up here. And she kissed him.

She launched toward him and he laughed against her lips as he pulled her to safety on the balcony where he held her tight and lifted her off the floor and she pulled closer into his body with her arms hooked around his neck and one hand burrowing in his hair, their bodies flush. She could smell the forest on him and the sweat that dried around his neck as he could smell the perfumes of the castle on her.

When she pulled away to catch her breath she felt as flushed as he looked. She was still in his arms with her feet hanging above the ground. She brushed a few strands of his messy blonde hair from his brow. Stars began to appear sporadic in the sky as the sun slowly dropped off the edge of the world.

"I love you too," she said, "If you didn't get that from the…kissing…and stuff. Just so we're clear."

"Oh we're clear."

And he kissed her again.


	10. Door

Door

Anna memorized Elsa's door. She knew every facet of the blue textures on the white background like a scene from winter. She could always recall the exact sound the wood made to three knocks. She knew the feel of the cold, metal handle that was always locked, budging only a bit with every wiggle but never allowing entry.

Anna made a habit of leaving her door wide open, at first as an open invitation for Elsa to come in whenever she passed by. She never passed by. Then keeping the door open was about catching Elsa as she walked down the hall. She never walked in that direction.

"Your sister needs time for her studies," Papa said gently while Anna read him one of her storybooks from her perch atop his knee.

"But all she does is study," Anna said.

Papa sighed and shifted so Anna was facing him. He pulled her book away, sure to mark the page, and brushed the stray streak of platinum blonde from her cheek and behind her ear.

"Your sister will be queen one day—"

"I know, I know," Anna insisted. She let out a dramatic huff and crossed her arms.

"Yes but you may be more understanding if you knew what it meant," he said.

He pulled Anna in closer into a hug and she rested her head against her father's chest, for once not decorated in medals, and fancy roping. It was soft cotton and her father's warmth beneath her head as he let his fingers brush through her hair.

"Elsa will be queen after I am gone. She carrying a burden you will never have to bear," he explained, "In more ways than one."

The last part was added quietly and Anna wondered if she was even supposed to hear it. Papa sounded sadder than she'd ever heard him in that moment. And he sighed and held Anna tighter.

"Your sister is the Princess of Arendelle to be queen. Her life does not belong to herself the way yours belongs to you," he said.

"Well who does it belong to?"

"It belongs to you, and her subjects. Just as I belong to you, and Elsa, and all of Arendelle. You started reading your Shakespeare yes?" he said. Anna nodded,"'Uneasy is the head that wears the crown.'"

"She could still open her door," Anna muttered.

"Your sister is doing the best she can," and then he took her and turned her again so they were facing on another once more and he said quite sternly, "You must never ask her to open her door."

Anna assumed it must be something to do with quiet. When Elsa first learned to read the physician said she had the 'reading condition'. Something about the letters reversing in her head making it hard for her to read anything properly. He said it was common like Anna using her left hand for everything instead of her right. Perhaps quiet made it easier for Elsa to do work.

So Anna decided to let it be, or at least to lighten up on how many times a day she asked for Elsa's attention. And soon she started making acquaintances with the portraits on the walls.

Elsa's door reminded the illusive, sole entrance to a fortress Anna could never reach. She never saw Elsa leave, she'd fall asleep in the hall watching, hoping to see her sister for more than three seconds to no avail. And then later that day Elsa would be in the library or just leaving the kitchen with tea.

"Hi Elsa!"

"Hi."

She didn't even look up. She focused on her tea, or a book in her hand, or she straightened those stupid gloves. And then she'd disappear behind the door again. They played that game of hide and seek multiple times a week and Elsa always won.

And then their parents died and Elsa didn't even appear for the funeral. No tears, no emotion, her face was pale and stone. She said nothing to Anna and nothing to anyone. People pitied her, the youngest queen Arendelle had ever seen, forced by tragedy to wear her father's crown too soon.

Anna was outside the door again.

"Elsa please," she begged, "I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been."

Nothing.

"Everyone tells me to have courage…please Elsa I'm right here just open the door."

Nothing.

But Anna stayed outside that door for hours that day. She swore, every now and again, she could hear the sniffles of Elsa, just against the door on the other side. She was inches from her sister but a million miles were between them with the door in the way.

Anna fell asleep outside the door in effort just to be close to Elsa. But she woke up in her own bed. If she had been awake enough to see she would know that it was Elsa herself that had carried the smaller girl down the hall placed her beneath her own covers. But when she woke it was only a dream that she felt Elsa's hands, gloved as they may be, on her shoulders and brush against her cheek as a blanket was pulled over her.

But her own closed door was the firs thing she saw when she woke in the early hours of the morning when the sun was still far below the horizon. Unable to sleep she wandered down the kitchens to make herself tea in hopes of not waking any of the staff earlier than she had to.

She spent a half hour trying to get the water to boil and was near ready to throw the pot.

"You're not very good at this," said Elsa's calm voice from the corner.

Anna jumped what felt like ten feet in the air. She clutched the chest of her black dress, still unchanged from last night, and threw a spoon in the intruder's general direction, missing by at least three feet. Elsa's eyes lazily followed the spoon as it whizzed by her.

"Dear Lord Elsa!" she said.

"Don't swear."

Everything she said was toneless and devoid of any emotion, just like her face. Covered in shadow as she may be in the dim corner, her hair shone in the dark like a streak of silver in the dark of a mine.

Elsa wordlessly relieved Anna of her duties and began boiling the water for tea. Her gloves, as ever, hid the flesh of her hands.

"Were you here the whole time?" Anna asked.

"No."

Even outside the door, with their parents gone, nothing changed. Elsa didn't smile, didn't cry, she didn't give Anna more words than absolutely necessary. Wordlessly the water began to boil and Elsa placed the leaves into the water allowing them to swim freely through the steaming water. She seemed overly careful to avoid actually getting near the heat.

When the tea was brewed she poured two cups. She took hers straight but added three sugar cubes into Anna's before sliding it over to her.

"You remembered," Anna smiled. Papa had always forbade her taking three sugars in her tea and the servants never remembered.

"I'll be queen, I have to remember things."

Leave it to Elsa to turn a completely gentle and warm moment cold and professional. Anna sighed as Elsa left the room without a word, as quietly as she had entered. Anna knew she was off to disappear behind the eternally closed door that may as well be a stone wall.

On Elsa's 21st birthday she, as per tradition, commissioned her coronation portrait. The beautiful painting of Elsa, regal, and cold, and stunning in green, and black, and purple hung next Papa's own in the throne room. Anna made friends with that one too.

"You must be nervous for your big day," Anna chirped to her sister's likeness. "I know you'll do fantastic of course, you've always been a queen, this is just the formality. You've got perfect posture, and you always look so beautiful, and whether you like to show it or not you're incredibly kind when you want to be. If you'd just open your door I could give you this pep talk in person."

From behind her Anna thought she heard the faintest sound of someone's footsteps but whoever it was vanished like a shadow when they knew they were found out. They were probably off to hide behind a closed door.


	11. Chocolate

Chocolate

As soon as Anna was away from Elsa she meant to go in search of that chocolate they smelled. She could feel Elsa's eyes on her from across the room where the queen stalling in mingling and instead took to her seat of honor above the party where no one dared approach her.

Anna huffed and kept walking, let Elsa watch her walk away, she'd storm out (gracefully) and let Elsa come talk to her. The plan was working, until she smacked right into a waltzing couple and found herself knocked into a pair of strong arms.

"Glad I caught you," rang that familiar baritone. His voice was as gorgeous as his face.

Hans helped her to her feet and she quickly locked her arms in his and led him away from the ballroom hoping Elsa missed that part.

"Whoa! Why are you in such a hurry?" he laughed.

"I smelled chocolate before and we need to locate it."

He laughed and allowed her to lead the way.

Ultimately they found a beautiful fondue fountain of chocolate streaming over. Anna wasted no time in diving in, dipping every assortment of fruit and pastry they had available for the fountain. She vaguely thought about telling Elsa where the chocolate was but she refused to go back in the room. Instead she and Hans scooped up some chocolate in goblets, grabbed as much fruit as they could carry and snuck out to the balcony.

There was something exciting about hiding from a party with someone another person, especially the other person was a handsome prince when you were a more than eligible 18-year-old princess.

"You've got some chocolate," Hans said dabbing his finger on his own cheek to indicate.

Anna tried to find the spot but only succeeded in smearing it further, and with a laugh Hans reached out with his napkin and wiped the stray chocolate away and Anna swore she felt her heart flutter and her face grow red.

She giggled a thank you as they continued to eat out of the balcony, the shadows of the partygoers danced across the curtains but they were well hidden from the party of dignitaries and from the queen.

"I can't remember the last time I had chocolate," Anna said.

"Really?"

Hans popped another grape in his mouth and Anna absently played with the solidifying chocolate with the wooden stick meant for spearing the fruit.

"Mama and Papa only let us have deserts if it was a special occasion. And after they died Elsa never ordered deserts from the kitchens when she'd have dinner prepared for us. Even at Christmas," Anna said.

"Your sister seems…"

"Cold, emotionless, devoid of fun?"

"I was going to say like a quiet person."

Anna shrugged and tugged the spear from the gooey chocolate. She began making chocolate shapes on the stone ledge.

"She doesn't talk to anyone, especially me. We were best friends once then one day…all I knew was her closed door the rest of my life. No words, and definitely no chocolate," she said.

They eventually moved from the topic of Elsa and Hans' older brothers. They ran around the kingdom, they danced whether there was music or not. They found more chocolate. They laughed and as the sun was going down Anna wanted nothing to do with going back to that party where she was sure her sister had long earlier that day noticed her absence.

Anna wondered if she found the chocolate they'd giggled about together, the first time she'd seen her sister smile in years. And certainly the first time Elsa smiled at her since they were children.

"Well it's official, Arendelle has the best food I've had," Hans said.

"Better than the Southern Isles?" Anna said.

"By far, the chocolate is amazing," he said.

They laughed some more and Anna felt butterflies when she allowed his arm to slide over her shoulders. Stars began to dot the sky and a cool summer breeze blew around them. She allowed herself to sink into his side and rest comfortably. In fact she was more comfortable than she'd been before. Something about their bodies leaning together, him wiping chocolate from her face, the giggles, and the dancing all felt fitting.

Maybe it was the starry night, maybe it was the party, maybe it was the chocolate. But when Hans asked her to marry him, the only word that came to her mind was yes.


	12. Loss

Loss

(WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER: I reveal the third act plot twist, the identity of the film's villain, and the climax scene.)

Elsa never ever forgot what she lost. How could she when Anna's silver stained hair was ever present as the girl herself at her door. She saw in that strand of hair a reflection of herself in the worst way: she saw snow and ice and pain. How much pain Anna had been, how she cried and shivered. Elsa had never known what it felt like to be cold and then her sister nearly died from an affliction Elsa would never know but always carried inside her. It didn't seem fair.

So she stayed away.

"Elsa do you want to build a snowman? Well it doesn't have to be a snowman. We could ride our bikes or draw something, or read or—"

"Go away Anna."

The silver in Anna's hair was the childhood they never had.

But then the silver turned to white and this was a different kind of magic. This was anger and fear and it was evil. It was creeping and cold beyond comprehension and it wanted to harm Anna.

So Elsa chased her away and once again something disappeared, something was taken from them, something that had once existed between them buried itself deep beneath the frost.

The white in Anna's hair was the hope slowly dying from both of them.

_And if I lose her? _"I'll hate myself until I die,"Elsa said to no one. Should sooner never set eyes on her living sister again than have her die.

And then Elsa was out on the fjord, frozen over. Elsa bled frost into the air as she got angrier and frustrated and scared. The blizzard raged and raged and raged and Elsa was about to lose everything.

"Your sister is dead because of you."

For once in her life, Elsa knew what cold felt like.

She was on her knees before she realized it and the blizzard stopped and all around the snow simply hung dead in the air. This was frost, this was numbness, this was her heart breaking, this was her soul dying.

And Elsa cried. Years and years, 21 years worth of tears, spilled without relent from her body and she was sure she'd never stand up again. How could she? She had nothing to stand up for. There was no reason to walk anymore, no reason to breath, no reason to sleep or stay awake, no reason to read, no reason to eat. The reason for everything left with Anna.

In seven words Hans brought a queen to her knees.

She heard him moving behind her. She heard the sword unsheathe and she knew he meant to kill her. Perhaps the storm would stop when her body died. Perhaps she would be allowed to see Anna and her parents in heaven. Maybe she was bound for hell. Let him kill her, let her blood stain the fjord. She lost everything. It was time to stop. Let the storm end.

Let it go.

But someone had something else in mind. There was a clang and a shatter just after someone let out a shriek like one Elsa never heard before. And there stood Anna, frozen solid in the last pose she'd ever take. Her body had stood in the path of the sword, her arm outstretched to shield her sister. Anna had taken the blow meant for Elsa, Anna shielded Elsa, Anna died in Elsa's place, Anna died for Elsa.

Anna died. And it was so much worse than before.

She was supposed to be the one protecting her sister. She was supposed to be the one stepping in front of dangers and calming nightmares and reading bedtime stories.

"No one's gonna hurt you because I'm your big sister," Elsa said to the sleeping infant, so long ago in the dead of night. The baby was crying and Elsa talked her back to sleep in a whisper, "I'll always be there for you."

And Elsa, full grown, held the body of that now adult girl. And the feeling was the same _No one can hurt you while I'm here, I won't let anyone try_. But her sister was dead.

_Why am I the only one who loses everything?_

Everything in the world was dead to Elsa now and a hundred thousand years could pass by, Arendelle could be little more than ruins to a future world, her body could be dust in the wind, and the memory of the memory of her name could be all that remains for the world but she would never ever forget what she lost and how cold felt.

And then Anna's heart started beating again.


	13. Run

Run

When Elsa was younger and learned to ride for the first time, the stable master had made her completely aware of fear in animals. He explained how skittish horses could become and how violently they could react to fear if they thought they were in danger. He explained they could take off run, they could buck the rider off, they could fight the predator.

Elsa only understood that primal fear once in her life, staring at a room full of people with her back to the door. Ice stood between her and the world.

She felt like she was choking, she felt like throwing up. She wished she could become invisible, she wished she could turn back time. She felt like each eye was a spear, each person was a predator. She was in danger. They were going to kill her. It was primal fear, it was sweat, it was shaking, it was hyperventilating.

So she ran. The last face she saw was Anna's shocked gaze. Something in Anna was apologizing and something else was crying but Elsa didn't have time for it, it was too late. She groped for the doorknob and as soon as she found it she was out of the room. She was running. Behind her the purple cloak flapped and snapped loudly.

"Your Majesty! Long live the queen! Queen Elsa!" came the cries of her subjects when she found herself in the castle courtyard where the local town had gathered to see their queen.

And Elsa couldn't control it. The power leaked out and everyone knew, every face was fear, and danger, and angry. Mothers hid their children from her, people gapped and gawked and looked disgusted. She remember the image Grand Pabbie showed her so long ago of herself in danger. Prophecies come true.

"Please just stay away!"

Her heart was pounding, her breath was uncontrollable. Someone would get hurt. Someone could die. She might get hurt. She could die. She had to keep moving away. It was all over anyway.

So she ran some more. She ran from shouts and footsteps and from danger. She was out of the castle and out of the town. She was at the edge of the fjord and that's all that stood between her and the safety of the mountains and the woods on the other side. That would be her fortress.

"Elsa please! Wait!"

It was Anna behind her and Elsa instinctively turned to her sister's plea. She kept her hands clasped as Anna got closer and closer, the damn glove still hanging in her hand.

No. This was not happening. It wouldn't happen again. In the dark Elsa saw Anna's platinum streak and she would never allow it to grow. She prepared for a long time about the possibility of running, leaving and never returning. Saving her head, saving her life and everyone else's.

The air was getting colder and it looked like it was beginning to snow. As the frustration in Elsa grew, nature reacted. She had to leave. If she left the cold would follow her, away from the kingdom, away from Anna. A thin ice formed on the water and Elsa carefully pressed her foot to it. Not only did it hold her weight, it froze faster. Anna was getting closer and yelling louder.

She had to run. So she did. And the ice protected her.


	14. Snow Cone

Snow Cone

"Elsa, I've been experimenting."

"How alarming."

Elsa was reading on her balcony, wearing only her day gown in the frosted air of January. Her eyes remained focused on the words in the book (no matter how many times her brain decided to jumble the order in which they appeared). Anna was holding her hands behind her back, clearly hiding something back there.

"I think you'd be interested," Anna said.

Elsa sighed, placed a finger into the crease of her book as she gently pulled a loosened ribbon from her wintery hair and placed it within the pages of the book. She turned, hands placed gently in her lap and managed the most expectant and interested face she could muster.

"Okay are you ready?"

Anna was practically bouncing. Elsa nodded.

"Close your eyes."

"Anna if this is going to be a repeat of the St. Lucy's Day ball—"

"Oh don't act like getting snow dumped on you even registered with you, you're sitting out here in a day gown like it's June," Anna said.

"I'd prefer to not have to change."

"Look just close your eyes."

Elsa obeyed and sat straighter in her seat. She felt Anna grab her wrist and place her fingers around something she couldn't quite make the shape up. Anna moved Elsa's other hand to the object.

"Aaaaaanndd….open!"

Elsa obeyed again and saw a strange object in her hands. It was a cup that tapered to point at the bottom but at the top it held a compact ball of what appeared to be red snow.

"Please tell me that's not the blood of anyone I know."

"Elsa!"

Elsa let out a small smile and Anna forced her sister to move over on the chair and planted herself next to her.

"I invented a new food!" Anna said happily.

"You didn't invent snow," Elsa said.

"Would you listen? I tripped into that snow bank outside the stables—stop laughing—and I got a mouthful of the stuff which was awful but I thought what if there was flavored snow. So I grabbed a handful and poured some different things on it. Decided on sugar, and then threw some coloring on it from the kitchen and the rest will be history," she said.

"Does Olaf know you're eating one of his cousins?"

"Elsa!"

Anna scooped a bit of the red snow from the clump and but it in her mouth to demonstrate.

"See? Yum," Anna said. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Would you just try it?"

"I'm not one for sweets," Elsa said.

"But you're the Snow Queen, you'd love it!"

"I'm also the Queen of Arendelle but I'm not running around eating citizens," Elsa said. At this point she was doing it for the amusement of Anna's increasingly red face.

Finally Anna had had it with the queen and jumped to her feet. She scooped up more of the snow and made a move to shove into her sister's face but Elsa anticipated and got up in time.

"You know what you're doing is treason," Elsa said, holding Anna's creation out like a sword.

"Oh please," Anna said.

The game of chase covered the whole balcony and eventually resulted in Anna tackling her sister to the ground and successfully getting a nice red glob square on her mouth. Elsa licked her lips as the melting snow ran red down her chin. She gave a wave of her hand and the sugar water vanished into the air as frost.

"And what do you call your creation?" Elsa asked.

"A snow, a snow…a snow…? Snow cone?" Anna supplied.

"Well as good as your snow cone is, I think I've found a better use for it."

Elsa lazy twirled her fingers at her side and what was left of the red snowball rose from its cone and into the air, dangerously hovering by Anna's head. Anna made a break to dive into Elsa's room but the magic was faster and Elsa succeeded in planting the treat square on her sister's head.

Anna did her best to look annoyed at Elsa, but at once the two broke out into simultaneous giggles and Anna stuck her tongue out to catch a few drips of the melting snow from her head.


	15. Warmth

Warmth

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW.

Anna was crawling on the floor. She had to find a way to relight the fireplace, she had to. She needed the heat. With each inch she pulled herself closer she imagined the heat and warmth and the colder she got. Her body was cold in a way she could not describe and as each minute past it refused to move without pain.

Is this what Elsa felt like? Cold within and cold without and nothing but sadness? Anna pitied her sister with each new wave of chill in her body. This was Elsa's soul and it hurt and it was cold and Anna wanted to cry. Could she feel the warmth? Would the sliver of ice in her heart allow for it?

And then saving grace.

Olaf appeared.

"Anna, no!" he gasped and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him over to the fireplace. He struck a match hanging on the wall and suddenly the embers were ablaze again. And as lovely as the warmth felt on her skin there was one thought in her head.

"Olaf, get away from there!"

But the snowman wasn't listening.

"Whoa, so this is fire, gotta say I still like it!" he said.

He got near the fire and Anna watched as his head and body and legs began to turn to water before her eyes. Then he asked about Hans and her kiss of true love. And Anna told him the truth.

"I was wrong about him, it wasn't true love," she said.

She curled against the heat of the fire and watched Olaf trying to resemble his quickly fall body parts.

"Please Olaf, you can't stay here, you'll melt."

But he refused to leave and promised to find her an act of true love to melt the ice strangling the life from her heart. And then he what Anna now realized she knew all along: Kristoff loved her.

"Love is putting someone else's needs before yours," he said through his quickly liquidating mouth.

"Olaf, you're melting!"

"Some people are worth melting for."

And that's what Anna remembered when she turned and saw Elsa on the fjord. A queen on her knees in tears and Hans ready to strike her down, remove her head to remove her crown and take it himself. She was going to die right now, right here.

Elsa was going to die.

Anna put all the effort her freezing body could muster into her legs and into her heart and she ran. She screamed and shouted and cried and did everything in her power to get Elsa's attention. _Turn around! Move Elsa! _She was desperate, she was running. Time stopped all around her, no one else existed but Elsa. Danger, danger, danger, danger. _Elsa please!_

Anna thought of warmth. She thought of Olaf melting to keep her safe. That was love. She thought of Elsa locking herself away in her room for years and years alone to protect Anna. That was love.

Love was putting someone else's needs before yours. Love was a closed door.

And Anna was between Elsa and Hans and sword blow to end her sister's life hit her instead. Some people are worth melting for. Some people are worth freezing for. Elsa was alive. Anna was dead.

_I'm sorry and I love you._


	16. Children

Children

It had never been in Elsa's plans to have children. She imagined living her life as a recluse in the castle, appearing when she had to for state affairs, and then one day Anna would outlive her and assume the throne when Elsa died and then pass it on to her children.

But plans change.

After Anna forcibly dragged her sister out of her shell, Elsa found herself mingling with people like a proper queen and then one day she met a man, a grand duke from Russia with floppy, curly black hair, Anna's age, and charming in the most annoying way.

And then she found herself saying yes to the man when he asked her to marry him. And then she found herself getting married to him. And with a ring on her left hand finger and a prince consort she imagined children were the next step in her shattering walls.

Anna and Elsa were at breakfast one Sunday morning while their respective husbands had decided to go on a hunting trip or sledding trip or whatever thing Kristoff had mumbled was "manlier than picking out place settings for your ball."

"Freya, eat your eggs," Anna said to her year old daughter who was more interested in bounding around the room on her wobbling, newly-walking legs. She hopped about the room chasing snowflakes that Elsa had conjured for her.

The young girl had Anna's hair but it was Kristoff's face that Elsa saw in her niece. It was a much more lovely version of his (that was the first thing Elsa said to him the night Freya was born but he was too busy admiring his daughter to note he'd been insulted).

The sisters chatted about things through the hour until Elsa needed to go sign documents for the Archduke of Austria. But when Elsa stood she nearly collapsed again at the pain and nausea that hit her stomach like a punch from the inside out.

"Elsa!" Anna cried and immediately rushed over to support her sister's body. "Kai, fetch the physician!"

Elsa was aware there was a flurry of movement around her, she felt Anna's hands on her arm before she was handed off to what must be her physician.

Anna remained outside Elsa's room, bouncing her daughter on her knee. She'd sent a rider out to fetch the men from their escapades in the forest and she anxiously bounced between checking the halls when she thought they might have come home and pressing an ear to Elsa's door trying to hear any news.

Inside the room Elsa lay in bed in her nightgown and her hair dismantled from its bun and into a messy braid. After a few bouts of vomiting her stomach felt fine again but she refused any form of food Stellan offered her.

"Elsa," he said when he returned with water, "I've been your physician since the moment I delivered you 24 years ago."

Somehow this didn't sound like a promising way to start a conversation. Elsa gulped down the water.

"And now it's my turn to deliver a new little prince or princess for you. You are pregnant, Your Majesty."

Elsa felt a few things at once, chief among them was relief that she was not dying as he made it seem. The second was complete and utter terror. And the third was complete and utter joy. A flurry of questions rushed through her mind as she imagined herself a mother, imagined her husband a father. A flurry of butterflies filled her stomach at the thought that they had created life together. They created a child that would look like them, that was made up of each other them.

But weeks later the fear kicked in when Elsa realized the most important question she should be asking.

"What if it's like me?"

Anna looked up at Elsa, leaned against the doorframe, from tucking in her sleeping daughter to meet her sister's eyes.

"Blonde?" Anna asked.

Elsa sighed and held out her hand to puff a few snowflakes into the air and Anna nodded and mouthed a soundless "oh". She finished putting the young princess to bed and quietly led her sister from the room.

"So what if it has powers like you?" Anna said as they walked down the hall.

"'So what?' Anna look at how I grew up, how you grew up," Elsa said. They passed Elsa's closed door.

"And why would your child grow up like that?" Anna said, "Everyone knows about your powers, so there would be no need to hide them in your son or daughter. You can teach them how to use them. You'd have someone like you. Someone who could understand you. And someone who could waltz around in the snow in a shoulderless dress with you like a weirdo."

"Ha, ha," Elsa said.

Her husband assured her it would be fine. Anna continued to assure her. Kristoff threw his own cents in as well, and Olaf was elated at the idea of Elsa's child having powers like hers.

When Anna had gone into labor, she kept yelling about how Kristoff was never going to touch her again and random shouts of "why did this happen?" to which Elsa tried to tell her that when a man and woman love each other…Anna threw a pillow at her head and Elsa was asked to wait in the hall.

Elsa's own labor had not been so difficult. Granted it hurt, a lot, and it took a good amount of time. But she forgot all the sweat and all the pain and all the contractions and all the pushing at the sound of her son's cry as he was pulled from her. She threw her head back to let out a sigh of relief and thought she might cry.

"A healthy prince!" Stellan said, cleaning off the boy before handing him to Elsa.

He squirmed and squealed but at the sound of Elsa's voice he calmed immediately and tried to focus his tiny eyes on her. He knew her voice, he immediately acclimated to her touch, he knew her. And she knew him.

"Hi," she laughed as she offered him one of her fingers which he latched onto with both hands.

His hair was black like his father's. His face was more reminiscent of his than anything else but his eyes were a stark shade of blue that Elsa recognized as her own. At some point everyone burst into the room. Anna gushed over her nephew, Freya was eager to meet her cousin, Kristoff made a comment about how he looked like a raisin, and the prince consort was near to tears at the site of his son.

Elsa knew the second she laid eyes on her son that he was not like her. His hair was too dark, his skin not fair enough. And the magic in her body did not respond to him at all, the way it responded to snow or ice or chills in the air. That magic possessing her body had not been passed to him. The power was hers alone. Perhaps in twenty generations one of her decedents would be shooting snow flurries the first time they sneezed but it was her son. And she was thankful.


	17. Wedding

Wedding

The day Kristoff walked into Elsa's office asking to speak with her alone, Elsa knew before he even got the words out of his mouth what he was going to ask her.

"I'll give you my blessing and official permission to marry Anna," Elsa said before Kristoff even asked.

It had been a full year since the Great Freeze. In that time Anna and Kristoff spent time together almost daily doing all sorts of things, unfortunately Elsa had walked in on a few of their more inappropriate activities. The man adored her and Anna was in love with him. It was more than enough for Elsa.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Take a walk with me Kristoff," Elsa smiled.

They walked about the gardens in the far courtyard. Elsa made sure Kai and Gerda kept Anna in the library while she spoke with her sister's fiancé-to-be.

"I think you are a very good man Kristoff. You are kind and loyal and very brave, if a bit rugged," she said looking at his tattered tunic, "You would make a fine prince, with some lessons, and an even better husband."

"Thanks," he said, "Wait, a prince?"

Elsa continued walking and gestured for Kristoff to follow. The turned and walked up a flight of stairs and began walking on the wall of the castle.

"The life Anna has lived is very different from yours," she said.

"Yeah I know, fancy clothes, good posture, happy faces at parties. You've already got me training in that for months now," he said.

"That's not what I meant. Anna is a princess and you might scoff at the term but it means she is a member of this government. She speaks multiple languages to properly converse with dignitaries, she's taken lessons in history and politics to be prepared should she have to take my place if something happens to me. Fancy balls and nice clothes are the easy part."

They stopped on the edge of the wall and looked out at the fjord.

"My sister's children will be princes and princesses descended from a noble family older than Arendelle itself. They'll be titled and christened and many, many things will be expected of them. As they will be of you. If something happens to me before I marry and have children then you will be expected to become prince consort to Anna. If these are things you are willing and ready to handle and embrace, then I can officially grant you my blessing."

There was not even the briefest moment of hesitation in his face or voice. He looked directly into Elsa's eye.

"I would do anything for Anna."

Elsa smiled.

The day of the wedding was a mix of headache, excitement, tears, and exhaustion. The morning of the wedding Elsa granted Kristoff some old and vacant noble title so he entered into the marriage legally eligible according the royal laws. She was bouncing between making sure Kristoff didn't make an "adjustments" to his suit, no matter how much he hated it, and getting Anna to calm down enough to get ready properly.

"What if I trip?" Anna asked. She was pacing while her handmaidens and even Elsa's own ladies-in-waiting followed her trying to do her hair.

"You won't get the chance if you don't sit and get ready," Elsa said. She caught Anna's shoulders and forced her to sit at the boudoir. Elsa began brushing her hair and shooed away the mistresses.

"I just—I just mess up everything. I can't mess this up, I can't."

Elsa ran the brush through Anna's burnt orange hair before setting the brush down and turning Anna's chin to face her.

"You do not mess everything up," she said, "And even if you trip or drop something or say the wrong word, it'll still be a 100% Anna event. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Elsa kissed her sister's head and then bid her to finish getting ready.

In the cathedral Elsa was seated at the front, announced with fanfare upon entrance, and listened to a chorus of 'Heimr Arnadarl' before Kristoff entered and walked to the altar. And then Anna came.

She was draped in a white dress, the sheer veil covered her face., and embroidery of green here and there. A bouquet of crocus flowers and lilies was held in her hands. For once in Anna's life, she didn't stumble, or trip, or walk into anything. She gracefully moved down the isle with her eyes trained on the back of Kristoff's head. And for his part Kristoff began fidgeting nervously waiting for Anna to join him at the altar.

"Do you solemnly pledge you entered freely into this union? Do you swear to serve, cherish, and love each other from this day until the end of time?" the bishop said.

"Yes."

They answered together, as one.

The bishop turned to Elsa. "Does the sovereign queen of this dominion freely give her permission to this union?"

"I do."

It was done with a kiss. Anna practically threw herself on Kristoff and kissed him harder than she ever had, only barely keeping enough control over her own tongue to not take things to far. Only Elsa's subtle clearing of her throat caught her attention and at pointed look Anna detached from her husband. Flushing, she and Kristoff approached Elsa. She gave a curtsey while he gave a bow. And then they walked down the isle together.


	18. Birthday

Birthday

"Move that table to the left a few feet."

"Yes, Majesty."

Elsa lazily walked about the ballroom inspecting the tables and flowers and place settings. The ballroom was decorated like the bright spring morning it was, with the exception of Elsa's own ice sculptures lingering at different places in the room. Servants ran about left and right carrying last minute items, watering the flowers, straightening tablecloths.

"Princess Anna will be returning around 3 this afternoon. Make sure anyone who shows up at 3:01 is held at the gate until the princess has returned to the castle," Elsa said. Kai scribbled notes.

"That's a bit strict, Majesty."

"If they complain you can ask them when was the last time they threw a surprise _ball_ with a guest list of 150," Elsa said and Kai laughed.

"Very good, Majesty."

The man hurried away to dictate more instructions to the many servants scurrying through the halls to prep the ballroom. Kristoff and Olaf agreed to keep Anna busy all day out in the kingdom. Even though Anna would willingly spend hours with Kristoff, there was a limit to her attention span and her entire plan hinged on Kristoff keeping her as far from the castle as possible for another two hours.

Elsa made one final round about the room before retiring to her own chambers upstairs. Inside the room she picked up the small box which held her simple gift to Anna. She did not mark the box, but the snowflakes that clung to the ribbon and glistened in the light from the window were as good a calling card. She then changed, with the help of her handmaiden, into her party dress and rearranged her hair into a coiled bun adorned with a light blue flower to match the spring arrangement in the ballroom.

When Elsa returned to the ballroom at ten to three it was filled with guests milling about, glasses of wine in hand.

"Kai remind me to inform Joahn my wine cellar will be needing a restocking after tonight," Elsa whispered as she peaked into the room.

"Yes, Majesty. Shall I announce you?"

Elsa nodded. And a fanfare played as Kai stepped into the room. A hush came over the crowd.

"Her Majesty, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle," Kai announced.

Two servants bowed their heads as the pushed open the double doors for Elsa's entrance. The room bowed at the waist and curtsied to the queen. Elsa gave a polite nod to the room in acknowledgement and waved them on to carry on.

Another twenty minutes went by before Kai found Elsa hovering near the window.

"Majesty, the princess has returned to the castle," he said.

"Very well, you know what to do."

Immediately servants about the room called for the guests to quiet themselves and the band halted their music. Elsa moved to stand near her throne at the head of the room, a prime spot to watch Anna's reaction on the far side.

A few minutes later Anna entered the room and jumped back into Kristoff's arms as a chorus of over a hundred guests shouted "Surprise!" But then she laughed, and covered her giggling mouth, and began thanking everyone. The musicians resumed and guests continued to mingle, bidding the princess a happy birthday as she made her way through the crowd.

Elsa watched Anna's eyes scan the room, head on a swivel, looking for someone. And she found her seated on the wooden throne at the head of the room and Anna's smile looked ready to split her face in two as she hiked up her dress and came running to her sister.

Elsa smiled and rose from her seat just in time to catch Anna, nearly tripping, into a tight hug.

"Elsa! You didn't have to do this!" Anna laughed.

"I spent thirteen years silently sending you only flowers for your birthday. I hope this is a start to make up for that," Elsa said. She hadn't meant to be serious about it but the more she spoke the guiltier she became.

"Elsa…" Anna looked suddenly somewhere between tears for regret and tears for joy.

Elsa just smiled, she placed her hands on either side of Anna's head and gently kissed her forehead.

"Go and enjoy your party. And please remind Kristoff I set out a clean set of dress clothes for him," Elsa said, cringing at the site of the ice harvester covered in dirt, shaking a few dry leaves from his head.

Elsa didn't really see much of Anna the rest of the party. Anna kept tight to Kristoff, dancing with him multiple times (more often than not, teaching him _how_ to dance) and Elsa kept mostly to herself, speaking with the occasional dignitary.

Long after the sun went down and desert was being served Anna found Elsa though, for once that night not on the arm of Kristoff, and pulled her aside to sit next to an ice sculpture Elsa had made in Olaf's likeness (careful to not bring this one to life too).

"I went through some of my gifts," Anna said.

"Yes?"

"And I found yours."

Anna held up the blue box, the ribbon had been untied and the snowflakes had been brushed off. Anna pulled out a small bronze key and held it up to Elsa.

"It's a key Anna I trust you've seen one before," Elsa said. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Yes I know, what does it go to?"

Elsa smiled and intertwined her arm with Anna's, pulling her sister to stand. They weaved through the crowd until they left the room altogether and began walking through the hallways with the din of the party slowly fading into white noise the father to walked. Anna did not question but stayed linked to Elsa at the elbow as she was lead up a familiar path to the residency wing of the castle.

Down the hall they walked, a walk Anna made so many times over the past thirteen years, until they were in front of that ever elusive blue and white door Anna knocked on so many times.

"The key goes to this."

Anna gaped at the door and looked at the key resting in her palm. A small dusting of snowflakes was engraved into the shaft and the handle was in the like of Elsa's ice palace far in the mountains.

"If ever I don't answer when you knock," Elsa said, "You can use this…within reason."

Anna looked at the door and looked at the key. She pulled a tight fist over the key and pulled it to her chest as her bottom lip began to tremble. Silently Anna turned to her sister and gently snaked her arms around Elsa's body and rested her head on her shoulder.

And Elsa felt Anna's tears on the bare skin in the crook of her neck where Anna rested her head. Elsa held her younger sister and gently let her fingers run through the strawberry blonde hair and let her cheek rest against the crown on Anna's head.

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered.

"I love you."

It came out as a quiet sob, followed by a sniffle, and Elsa squeezed Anna tighter.

Elsa and Anna did not return to the party that night. Instead they spent the night chatting away in Elsa's room, knocking each other around with pillows occasionally, and a small snowball fight ensued at one point. Anna tied the key around her neck with a ribbon she pulled from her hair and fell asleep, sprawled out in Elsa's bed. Elsa fell asleep next to her not long after.


	19. White

White

While all the kingdom was draped in black, the color Elsa recalled from the day of her parents' funeral was white.

"Your sister is inquiring about you, Majesty," said Kai through the door.

On the other side and in her room Elsa seethed at the use of the style "Majesty". Your Majesty was her father and her mother. She wasn't queen, she couldn't be queen, she was eighteen, she was still Princess Elsa.

But she wasn't. That night at dinner Kai came bursting in, shaken and pale, and announced the king and queen had been lost at sea. And a few days later all hope for Elsa and Anna had been dashed when he solemnly informed them the bodies had been recovered and he said those fateful words Elsa dreaded to hear:

The king is dead. Long live the queen.

And now she was the queen. She would not officially be ordained by the bishop until she turned twenty-one, but from that moment on she could never be a princess again. She was Queen Elsa in practice and title. And in three years she would be Queen Elsa in legality and in the sight of God.

"Inform my sister she need not," Elsa said, opening the door finally. She heard Anna knocking earlier that day and when she, as per usual, did not answer the princess must have fetched Kai.

"And the funeral Your Majesty?"

Elsa swallowed. She should be at the funeral, she was their daughter, their eldest daughter. And she was Arendelle's ruler now, her people should see her as a sign of hope and strength. Anna would need her, she had three years less time with their parents and though it seemed miniscule growing up now it seemed like Elsa had been granted a lifetime longer than Anna had. But that was so many people to be strong for, and Elsa could barely be strong for herself. And what if the magic flared. No not "if" but "when". She shouldn't go.

"I will not be attending."

"Majesty—"

"I'm not to be disturbed Kai."

Elsa felt tears in her eyes and frost gathering at her hands. The last thing she saw before she shut the door was Kai's sympathetic face understanding, or thinking he was understanding, her pain.

And while the world was in black outside, Elsa was mourning in white.

Her room was bathed in frost, the floor and walls and ceiling all covered with a thin layer. Snow began falling from the mist forming overhead. Sometime later she'd have to find a way to fix this, hide the evidence. But for right now Elsa could only think one thing…

Let the storm rage on.

She spent hours in there. The frost was persistent and light layer of snow accumulated on the floor across the room. It must have been freezing in there but Elsa never felt it. Her breath never came out frosted in cold air like others, she never felt the burn ice could bring like others, she didn't know what shivering was like. She was forbidden to feel anything, even in her grief.

Knock. Knock.

"Elsa? Please I know you're in there."

It was her. Was the funeral over already? It must be. How was Elsa going to resist opening the door now? Even with the winter scene unfurling in her room, she didn't care, for just a moment, desperate for the warmth Anna's hug would bring. Elsa walked and her hand hovered dangerous close over the doorknob, wrapped in frost.

But she thought of that night. And she thought of her parents. This is who she had to be strong for. She had to muster strength enough for Anna, to protect Anna, to never break and put her in danger out of selfishness. She could not let her in.

"People are asking where you've been," Anna said. Elsa heard her weight press against the door. She was sitting out there now, she hadn't done that in years. "They tell me 'have courage' and I'm trying…I'm right out here for you. Please let me in."

Elsa heard her crying now and she couldn't hold it anymore. Silently tears fell and fell and Elsa dropped down on the floor, leaning against her side of the door. She wanted to stay there, she wanted Anna to stay, she needed Anna to stay. She'd sit against the door for hours if it meant she could just be close to Anna.

"We only have each other. It's just you and me. What are we gonna do?"

Above Elsa the snow had stopped falling and every single snowflake was suspended in midair. Elsa finally found an emotion so deep that even her temperamental magic refused to trespass against. Despair and grief and hopelessness and loneliness all in one.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

Yes. No.

Elsa stayed quiet and cried. Anna didn't move for hours and Elsa stayed rooted in her spot just inches from her sister. She should be there for Anna now, but to comfort her now would only put her in danger. Comfort or protect? Hug or shield? How could Elsa ever reconcile them or pick one for the other. Anything she did now, open the door or leave it closed, would somehow be detrimental to Anna.

The sun went down. The white of her room was swallowed into the fading light. White, her color of mourning, was gone into the black the rest of the world sported. Elsa finally got up ever so gently unlocked her door and inched it open. When a weight shifted again it, Elsa knew Anna was still out there. A slightly more open gap told Elsa Anna was fast asleep.

And for one brief moment, Elsa gave in. She slipped on her gloves and opened the door wider, gently catching Anna as she lazily fell back with the door. She was small for a fifteen year old, not yet having reached a spurt of growth that would turn her into a grown woman. Elsa cradled her on the floor for a minute, reminded of the night she held Anna in the same position as she shivered in pain.

Elsa adjusted herself and removed Anna's black cloak and scarf and hat. With the weight lessened to just Anna's small form, Elsa was able to shift Anna into her arms enough to carry her, though by the time Elsa reached Anna's room a few paces away she truly was feeling Anna's dead weight.

She got her to the bed and covered her. She brushed some hair away and left her sister to dream about a lifetime where their parents were still alive. Back in her room Elsa was left to the fading frost and her own kind of mourning.


	20. Awkward

Awkward

Elsa sat straight in her chair. Posture perfect, her feet firmly touching the ground. Her own hair was silky, silver, and perfect. Elsa was beautiful, regal, poised, smart, skilled.

Anna was awkward. And she never had any shame in it until that day in the library with Elsa.

"Elsa maybe I can help," Anna said.

Elsa squinted and sweated over her book. Papa told her she had to memorize the entire speech in Russian by the end of the day. Elsa was ignoring Anna to the best of her ability, which was highly skilled in Anna's opinion.

"No Anna."

Anna made a move to go around the table but tripped over a loose lace on her shoes. She swore she heard a snicker from Elsa. But when she looked up she found Elsa's eyes still trained on the book and writing furiously.

Anna awkwardly readjusted herself and sat across from Elsa who didn't move. She sat there, legs only able to reach the floor if she stretched and pointed her toes. Her pigtails were a mess of her own attempt to do her hair that morning. She tapped away at the desk, attempting to beat out the rhythm to a song she learned earlier that day for piano but clunked by the second bar.

"Can you stop?" Elsa demanded, nose practically touching the pages of the book.

Anna complied. And after only a minute began to fidget again. She was happy just to be allowed to be in the same room as Elsa for once. But as the minutes wore on, Elsa seemed less and less pleased with the prospect.

"I'm trying to do work Anna."

"Maybe I can help you Elsie."

Elsa ignored her and continued to go over lines and lines. She would stop every few seconds and shake her head, rub her eyes, mutter something. Elsa had a condition with words, they jumbled and mixed up in front of her eyes. The physician said it was common and not to worry. But that never prevented Elsa from getting incredibly frustrated constantly.

"Here, I can help you read it," Anna said, getting up and walking over to her sister.

"No," came the sharp reply. Elsa recoiled away from Anna's presence. "You can't help."

But Anna was determined to try, maybe if she could help Elsa then she'd get to sit with her sister during her lessons. It wouldn't exactly be like building a snowman but she'd get to be near Elsa.

"Why can't I help?" Anna moved to grab the book.

But that had been a mistake.

"Anna no—"

But it was too late, in an effort to tilt the book so Anna could read she knocked Elsa's tea right over, into her sister's notes and onto her sisters dress. Elsa jumped up in distress. Anna quickly went to shake the paper out, the tea somehow had turned nearly ice cold when it spilled.

Elsa was glaring at Anna but breathing heavily and rhythmically through her nose in an attempt to calm down. She seemed to be shaking and her hands fidgeted nervously, one balled into a fist and shoved into the palm of the other. Elsa brought her hands to her mouth, breathing steadily and squeezing her eyes. Whatever she was afraid of did not come to pass because she reopened her eyes.

"You can't help me."

"Elsie I could try—"

"You wouldn't understand."

Anna could tell Elsa was trying her hardest to keep her tone even and seemed balancing on a knife's edge of exploding completely.

"I could understand if you'd let me!" Anna said, "I'm a princess too. You're not the only one who has to learn things."

"You wouldn't understand. You won't be queen. You won't have to give speeches or write laws or declare wars. You're—you're just the spare!"

Anna could see on Elsa's face that she immediately regretted saying it. Her hands covered her mouth quicker than lightning as she tried to suck the words back in. But there it was. Anna didn't know what her sister meant at the time but she knew it hurt to hear.

A spare what? A spare button? A spare plate? A spare room? A spare person?

Anna backed up in shock, and right into a priceless vase recovered from a dig in Jerusalem. Over it went and into a hundred pieces. Elsa wouldn't have hit the vase. Elsa would have watched where she was going, Elsa would have caught the vase. And Anna rushed from the room determined never to try and help her sister again.

Over the next few days Anna made no effort to speak to Elsa though on the off chance they ran into each other Elsa never looked her in the eye. And when Elsa didn't know Anna was there, she could see her elder sister looked more miserable than ever. And though Anna could see regret written all over Elsa's face, she never got an apology. Elsa was too proud for that.

Anna learned quickly, the older she got, what that term meant. Everyone bowed before her sister, wanted to talk to her sister, wanted to dance with her sister. Anna was second fiddle. Anna was the understudy. Anna was the dorky, clumsy, awkward spare whom everyone hoped would never have to become queen. They never said it to her face as Elsa had but they thought it. She saw it on their faces at parties and balls.

Secondborn. Second place. And somehow Anna always managed to trip at the finish line anyway.


	21. Christmas

Christmas

Anna fidgeted nervously in the atrium at the head of the ballroom. She had spent the entire day prepping for the queen's Christmas Eve ball. She changed her dress three times, finally settling on a pale green one. Over her right shoulder was draped a royal blue sash and on her head was a glittering tiara.

Elsa entered the atrium from the hall. And, naturally, she'd outdone Anna. Her gown was pale blue and silver, her own tiara in the shape of snowflakes glistened and shined. Her own blue sash was adorned with a medal denoting rank that Anna fondly remembered Papa wore. She strode through the room with ease.

"What has you so fidgety?" Elsa said.

"It's just…it's the first time Kristoff's gone to a ball. And, I just…I don't even know why I'm nervous," Anna sat down on the couch.

"Well however nervous you are for him, he probably feels ten times worse," Elsa said.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Anna," Elsa joined her on the couch, "He has no need to impress anyone. You have no one to answer to…Though I can't promise I won't force you into a few dances with some of the young men out there. I need to keep them on good terms."

"Why don't you just dance with them yourself?" Anna said, getting up, annoyed, to peak into the quickly filling room.

"Because I'm the queen."

They gave it another twenty minutes before Elsa told Kai to announce them. The familiar blow of trumpets sounded and two servants held open the doors with heads bowed.

"Her Highness, Anna, Princess of Arendelle," Kai called out.

Anna walked in, nodding to the crowed, bowed at the waist. She stepped over to her seat at the right hand of Elsa's much more ornate one, at the head of the room. She quickly scanned the room trying to spot the familiar blonde head and tall bulky frame.

She finally found him, leaned against the wall in a corner. He was dressed in the bunad suit Elsa picked out for him and he looked more uncomfortable than she'd ever seen him. He gave her a small, pained wave and she gave him a sympathetic look.

"Her Majesty, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."

Elsa glided into the room, hands clasped in front. She gave a polite nod acknowledging the bowed room. Anna saw Kristoff bowed, looking around waiting for when he could rise. Elsa stood in front of her chair and gracefully took a seat, Anna did the same, and the guests resumed their mingling, the band resumed their music, and Kristoff lazily started making his way over to the head of the room.

"My lady," he bowed to Anna, "May I have this dance?"

Anna was certain she heard Elsa stifle a giggle and she couldn't really blame her. Seeing the usually so uncouth mountain man all dolled up and pretending to be a gentlemen was as comedic as it was endearing.

"Certainly."

Anna rose and placed her hand in Kristoff's as they entered the dance floor as a new song began. One hand went to his shoulder while he positioned his own free hand at her waist.

"Just remember the steps I taught you," Anna whispered.

"It's hard to remember a 'lesson' that was more inappropriate than appropriate," he grinned.

"Kristoff!" she hissed, feeling her cheeks catch fire and looked around to make sure no one heard.

Through the dance Anna could hear him muttering the count, his movements were stiff, and often clunky. It probably looked a bit ridiculous to a spectator but Anna was smiling and giggling the whole time while Kristoff whispered things in her ear.

When the song ended, Anna could already see at least two men making their way toward her ready to ask her for the next dance. She nudged Kristoff hard in the ribs.

"Ask me to go get refreshments with you!" she whispered.

"Are you hungry? I'll go get-" he asked, oblivious.

"Yes I'd be delighted to accompany you to the refreshments," Anna said loudly and practically dragged him off the dance floor.

"Honestly," she said at the table of our devoirs.

"I don't know your royal double talk lingo," he said, shoving food onto his small plate.

"Kristoff anyone with eyes could see what I was doing."

He shrugged and smiled as he popped a small pastry into his mouth. She smiled and rolled her eyes. She fought the urge to lean against him. Officially she was a single woman. Elsa kept it that way to keep her trade agreements viable. She liked flirting the princes with the idea of marrying the queen's sister though Anna knew Elsa had no intention of ever forcing her to marry someone.

Though it seemed the universe had a sense of humor because one of the gentlemen who had attempted to get Anna's attention settled instead for asking the queen herself. Anna's eyes widened.

"That is a bold man," Kristoff said.

Anna watched the mime play out. The man approached what might as well be Elsa's throne, bowed. He asked the question. Elsa appeared to wrestle for a minute with brushing the man off before deciding to give in. She rose and took the man's arm.

"She's asking for it," Anna said. This was going to open a floodgate, every man in the room would ask Elsa to dance now.

One hand on the man's shoulder, and one daintily holding the hem of her dress, she twirled with the foreign lord like she was skating over ice. She glittered in the light, and smiled brightly. She was the image of what every queen should be: graceful, beautiful, charming.

"She was everything I wanted to be growing up," Anna said watching her sister, in awe, dance with the man.

"You wanted to be queen?" Kristoff asked. Even his own aversion to all things frilly couldn't stop him from noting how surreal Elsa looked on the dance floor.

"No, never that," Anna gave a haughty laugh, "But I wanted her grace, her poise. She always knows what to say and when. She plays piano beautifully, she even composes music. She speaks six languages, three of them fluently. Firstborn, queen-to-be Princess Elsa. Who wouldn't want to be her?"

"I wouldn't want you to be that," Kristoff said quietly.

He put down his food and pawned off his wine glasses to a tray walking by. He then pulled Anna away. With everyone focused on Elsa Kristoff and Anna slipped out to the balcony, shutting the door behind them.

"I wouldn't want you to be Elsa. I like you."

Kristoff came over and gave her a soft kiss to the cheek. He leaned against the balcony railing and Anna rested her head on his chest.

"You sure you prefer the clumsy spare button?" Anna asked.

"Spare button?"

"It's a…royal thing," she giggled, "I wouldn't trade you either you know. Not even for the handsomest prince in the world."

"You mean I'm not the handsomest in the world?" he asked, feigning hurt.

Anna giggled and smacked his arm. Kristoff smiled and kissed her for real this time. Their lips were the only warm thing in the chilly Christmas Eve air. She felt her hands slide up his chest to cup his face and tangle in his hair. His own hands settled on her hips until he decided he was dissatisfied with the small gap between them and tightly wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling their bodies flush.

She emitted a small squeak at that and he laughed reflexively but it was swallowed up in Anna's kiss. They continued that way for several minutes, hands running over body parts, lips meshing, tongues just barely controlled, and hair disheveled.

They only finally broke apart when Kristoff noticed it had started to snow.

"It was sunny all day…" Anna said confused, holding out a hand to catch a few flakes.

"I think this may be your sister's way of telling us to get back inside," Kristoff groaned.

Leave it to Elsa. Anna helped Kristoff clean her lipstick off his face and flatten his hair and she hoisted up her own dress, crooked from Kristoff's grip. The pick up of the snow told them to hurry and the ding of the town clock tower told them it was midnight.

"Merry Christmas Anna," Kristoff said, placing a light kiss behind her ear and in her hair. It earned a shiver from her spine and a gasp but she composed herself to reenter the ballroom.

And nothing was funnier than seeing Elsa glaring at her from across the room, dancing with yet another man and five more waiting in the wings. Anna giggled and gave Kristoff's arm a pat before heading across the floor to rescue her sister.


	22. Lessons

Lessons

Anna was five years old when she first began writing her letters and numbers and the tutors noticed something odd. She went to pick up her pen, dipped it into ink, and began copying letters from the board but her governess stopped her.

"My dear what are you doing?" she asked.

"Copying the board, like you said," she answered.

"We use our other hand to write."

Her governess came over and removed the pen from her left hand, placing it in the right one. Even with minimal writing experience, the pen felt strange in Anna's other hand and she struggled to make it sit comfortably in her fingers. It was even worse when she began to write.

It went horribly.

"Anna your penmanship…leaves something to be desired," said her governess, cringing at the paper covered with unfortunate marks meant to be letters and numbers.

"Can't I try with my other hand?" Anna asked. Her right hand was cramped horribly from forced work it was not used to.

"No dear, we use this hand to write with. You'll learn eventually."

Anna sighed and spent the rest of the afternoon practicing alone, trying to copy the same list of numbers and letters with her right hand. After a few hours she could barely move her hand but she kept at it. It would eventually get used to writing and then her writing would look as beautiful as Elsa's.

"Anna what is this supposed to be?" Elsa herself asked. She had entered the library silently and taken to leafing through Anna's lesson notes.

"They're my letters, don't make fun Elsie," Anna groaned.

Elsa looked confused at the pages. She looked between the board and Anna and watched her silently for a minutes trying to copy down the letters.

"Anna why are you using your right hand?" Elsa asked.

"Because Madame Svetlana told me to use this one," Anna said, putting down the pen and rubbing her sore hand.

"But you always use your left. No wonder these look so bad."

Elsa came over and shoved the pen into Anna's left hand and nodded at the board. Elsa sat and watched as Anna produced a more pristine penmanship using her natural hand. When she finished Elsa smiled and examined the paper.

"See? Use your left hand. Don't mind Madame Svetlana," then she added in a whisper, "She doesn't know anything."

The sisters giggled.

"It's really okay if use my left hand?" Anna asked when they calmed down.

"Of course, who cares what hand you use to write as long as it looks pretty?" Elsa said.

"But Madame Svetlana says everyone uses the other hand," Anna said, looking at her left one.

"Well…" Elsa looked around before conjuring a snowball in her hand, "There's nothing wrong with being different."

Anna smiled at her sister's show of her powers. She took the snowball from Elsa's hand and began playing catch with herself.

"And besides," Elsa said, "I'll be queen one day and I say you can write with your toes if that's what you want." Anna smiled, tossing he snowball some more. Elsa examined Anna's notes once more and quickly began squinting, shaking her head, and flipping the paper.

"Does she still bug you about the reading thing?" Anna asked, leaning back in her chair, tossing the snowball up and down.

"No, Papa had the physician talk to her, he says I have a condition," Elsa frowned, "The words kinda jumble and change order and jump around. It's strange, but he said it happens to a lot of people."

"Well, it's like you said Elsie, there's nothing wrong with being different," Anna tossed her the snowball and Elsa caught it. She lazily levitated it above her hand and allowed it to hover in the air.

"Lessons are awful," Anna groaned.

"Agreed," Elsa said.

"At least you're good at them."

"It doesn't mean I like them."

They both sat lazily in their chairs, slumped, with no one around to tell them to sit up and get back to work. Elsa let the snowball back into her hands and tossed it back over to Anna who tossed it up and down for a few minutes until it melted in her hands. She shook the cold water from her hands, playfully splashing her sister who turned the water to frost on her face and brushed it off.

"Hey Elsa?" Anna said, she sat forward and motioned for her sister to lean as well, looking around and biting her lip Anna whispered "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Elsa's grin split her face.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	23. Parade

Parade

When Elsa was five years old a man had tried to kill her father. Her mother explained it was called an "assassination" when someone killed a powerful person. The attempt didn't work, however the man was working with or for warned the castle staff who immediately disposed of the poisoned reindyrsteik and informed the king. The man was imprisoned and though no one would tell Elsa what happened, she knew enough to know he was probably executed.

Many, man years later Elsa herself was queen and presiding over her first official May Day Parade. And the last thought in her head was of poisoned food or assassinations.

"So like…the point of this is…" Kristoff said.

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were seated in the royal box above the parade root. While Elsa was content to just sit and enjoy, Anna was practically bouncing to join the parade, and Kristoff looked bored out of his mind.

"To celebrate spring Kristoff," Elsa answered, not taking her eyes off the parade. "The holiday is older than Arendelle."

She heard him sigh and slump into his seat. This was secretly part of a test Elsa was conducting on Kristoff to see how well he could handle royal events like this. If he intended to become Anna's husband one day, as Elsa strongly suspected would be happening sooner rather than later, she needed to get all his eye rolling and huffing out now.

"I haven't watched one of these since I was five years old," Anna sighed, smiling at the crowd. "I would sometimes have my own parade for the portraits in the first floor gallery."

Elsa cringed. She recalled getting many "invitations" slipped under her door cordially requesting her presence for "Princess Anna's May Day Parade Spectacular."

"Yes I recall you broke our only bust of great-great grandfather King Erik II," Elsa said.

"Well if someone just let me out to go watch the parade maybe that awful bust would still be skulking in the hall and haunting our nightmares," Anna giggled.

Elsa smiled at her. It had been nearly a year since Elsa's coronation and she and Anna had finally reached a point where they could laugh about the past. Though the twinges of those scars still flared every now and again in Elsa (and she knew for certain it happened often for Anna), they came to a mutual and silent understanding that if they couldn't laugh at their mistakes in the past then what was the point.

The day was warm, just bordering on too warm for Elsa who hid herself under an awning, away from the sun, unhindered in the sky by clouds. A light breeze carried through the town bringing with it whiffs of delicious food cooking farther down in the town square. Anna was captivated by two men on stilts juggling assortments of fruit, Kristoff was pretending to be interested for Anna's sake, and Elsa was content.

And then it went wrong.

No one noticed the man swiftly and silently moving through the crowd in the direction of the royal box. He seemed to the people he pushed out of the way to be nothing more than a man trying to get to his family or a better seat to see the festivities. But then again, no one noticed the gun tucked into his jacket, the way he sweat profusely, the look of pure hatred on his face as he turned to look at the box.

While Elsa debated with Anna at which acrobat was better, Kristoff shuffled off to the side, noticing something.

"Okay Elsa let's see you do a backflip," Anna said.

"I'm not saying_ I_ could do better. Just that I saw him slip on his landing," Elsa said.

"Hey Elsa?" Kristoff called from the side.

Elsa's reply to him was cut off by Anna who pointed and practically shouted when Elsa's chosen favorite acrobat himself slipped on a move. Elsa was too busy chastising Anna to notice what Kristoff could see. But her attention was drawn when shouting began in the crowd next to the box, people yelling, being shoved, and then a very gaunt and angry looking man appeared.

"Long live freedom! Long live democracy!" he shouted.

Elsa didn't even have time to raise an eyebrow before the revolver was out. Her eyes widened as time slowed down and she couldn't force herself to move. Kristoff was faster though. As soon was the gun was out he was in motion.

"Elsa! Get down!" he shouted.

Then he turned around, he pushed Anna down and then he dove, tackling Elsa to the ground just as the gun cracked and the ensuing thunder silenced the entire parade. Somewhere Anna had let out a scream but Elsa couldn't move with Kristoff's entire weight overtop of her.

"Protect the queen!" a guard shouted and suddenly five soldiers were in the box.

There were other shouts as members of the crowd and guards rushed the man, at least that's how it sounded. Another gunshot never went off.

"Elsa!" Anna practically shrieked.

Kristoff off of her just in time for Anna to take his place. Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa, both hugging her and dragging her to sit up. It was only when Elsa was sitting that she realized she was hyperventilating. The box was quickly filling with frost.

"Elsa, calm down," Anna said stroking her face, "You're okay, it's okay."

Elsa closed her eyes and did her best to steady her breathing. She turned her head to see the bullet meant for her lodged in the back of her chair, wood around it splintered out as her own skin might have been if Kristoff hadn't been quick.

"Are you hurt?" Elsa asked Anna, sitting up farther. Anna shook her head but there were tears in her eyes.

"Kristoff?" Elsa asked, turning to him.

He smiled and shrugged, pulling at his back shoulder where a clear tear in his clothes, accompanied by a spattering of blood.

"He snagged me, but I'm fine," he assured. But Anna immediately rushed over to him and looked at the wound on his back. Elsa stood with the help of a nearby soldier and heard Anna insisting Kristoff get the graze cleaned and looked at. She had a point, the man might need stitches.

The royal party was escorted from the parade and Elsa ordered her guards to remain in town.

"Your Majesty, our job is to protect—" the captain protested.

"Your job is to follow orders," she said sternly, "And I'm ordering you to protect my people." The guards obeyed and Elsa entered the castle with Anna and Kristoff in tow.

That night Kristoff got stitches in his back (and whined about the entire time), Elsa began feeling bruises forming on her back where she had made hard contact with the wood of the patio. Anna bounced between Kristoff and Elsa making sure both were okay every ten minutes.

Elsa should have known better. A wave of democratic reform was sweeping Europe. France was rife with it, in Russia riots in the streets were demanding freedom for the serfs. It was only a matter of time before Arendelle was dragged in. The next time she was at a public event she would have to be more mindful.

Elsa gave Kristoff a room for the night in the guest wing (and secretly told one of her valets to make sure he stayed in that room). And as everyone was separating, heading off to bed, Elsa pulled Kristoff aside.

"Thank you. Words can't—You….saved my life."

He nodded. And then he hugged her. When they first met Kristoff seemed very unimpressed with Elsa, even angry at her for the winter and for what she had done to Anna. Perhaps the parade would mark a turning point in their relationship. After all, one day he would probably become her brother-in-law.


	24. Lullaby

Lullaby

(link to the song: watch?v=Zep8ZFcZztM)

"It's a song I learned as a young girl," Mama explained, "Ich Hab Die Nacht Getraumet.

"Ich Hab Die…Nat…Nack…Getru…" Anna tried out the German words on her four year old tongue.

"Ich Hab Die Nacht Getraumet," Elsa said perfectly, "I Dreamed the Night."

Anna stuck her tongue out at her older sister and Elsa made a face before smiling and winking. Anna came over to Elsa's bed and plopped herself up on her older sister's lap while Mama sang.

_Ich hab die Nacht getraumet_

_Wohl einen schweren Traum_

_Es wuchs in meinem Garten_

_Ein Rosemariebaum_

The melody was haunting and while it had Elsa captivated, Anna soon drifted off to sleep in her sister's arms, snoring lightly into Elsa's nightgown. The song went on for more verses and Elsa listened intently as the story played out of a woman wandering a garden, sensing the death of her loved one.

_Ach Liebster, bist du tot?_

"Loved one where art thou…" Elsa echoed at the end.

"We used to sing it often at recitals we had for Grandmama, it's not much a lullaby but it seemed to do the trick for Anna." Mama smiled at the four year sprawled out on top of Elsa, quite comfortable.

Mama often talked about growing up in Prussia, often about her sisters and her own mama. About the food they'd eat, about the balls she attended before she married Papa. Elsa wondered if Mama wanted to go back to Prussia and live there sometimes.

"We'll have to work on your sister's German," Mama said, "It won't do when Grandpapa comes to visit in a few weeks." Elsa hid a shudder. The King of Prussia was a towering, large man, who spoke angrily and loudly. She'd start helping her sister in the morning.

Mama bid them goodnight and in lieu of waking Anna up to go into her own bed, Elsa slid out from under her allowing her sister to stretch out on the bed. Elsa covered her and she sleepily snuggled tightly into Elsa's pillow. Elsa smiled and joined her sister under the covers with the quiet hum of the song stuck in her head.

Elsa played the song often growing up on piano or hummed it to herself. But the first time she truly felt the weight of words and melody was the day she learned her parents were dead. She retreated into the library and locked the door, though Anna was outside banging away, demanding to be let in.

But Elsa pounded away on the piano the lullaby from so long ago.

Loved one where art thou?

Gone into the sea and never returned. They died far from home in ice and rain and wind. Was it cold? Did they die cold? Were their last thoughts a wish for a warm bed? Did it hurt? Did they think of their daughters as they were dropped into the sea?

Elsa pounded harder on the keys to keep herself from crying. She was aware of the frost quickly creeping across the keys. Mama and Papa were gone. All she had left of them was the lullaby, her father's crown, and the damn gloves.

Elsa walked about the castle at night often and many times she'd stop outside Anna's door to her the sniffles of her younger sister within. When Anna was asleep she'd steal away into the room and watching over her, never touching, and leaving when her emotions got too high before a frost could creep into the room dangerously.

"We're allowed to talk about it," Anna said one day, having snuck into the library while Elsa was playing at the piano.

"Nothing to talk about," Elsa said, not looking up from the keys.

"Elsa's there's a lot to talk about," Anna said. She sounded distraught and defeated by her sister. "Mama and Papa are gone….I know you and I don't really share much but…we did share them."

Elsa felt multiple pangs in her chest as Anna continued to talk. And with each one she hit her chord in forte on the piano.

Love one where art thou?

"I know you're gonna be queen now and you've got a lot to do but that doesn't mean you don't feel anything because I know you do. You were Papa's favorite…" it was all said in a whisper and that made Elsa feel worse.

"Well you were Mama's so we're even," Elsa said.

Anna seemed to only get angry at that. She marched over to Elsa and glared daggers at her while Elsa continued to watch the piano.

"Even queens can cry Elsa," she said.

Elsa couldn't blame Anna for her anger. Elsa was being difficult, but she did it on purpose in the hopes that Anna would get angry enough to leave. But Elsa's stubbornness only seemed to spur the princess on. But still, Anna's argument was flawed.

"No, they can't actually," Elsa slammed the cover down over the keys and stood, full height, significant inches above Anna, "Everyone else gets to cry I get to clean up the mess. I get to be the tear free face everyone looks to. You cry Anna, I get to be the person holding the tissue for you."

"Well, you'd have to actually be willing to be around me for more than five minutes for that to be true," Anna mumbled. Elsa sighed.

"I have work to do."

Elsa turned and starting leaving.

"That's most you've talked to me in years you know," Anna called, "Mama and Papa are dead and you talk to me more than you ever have before, I know my sister is in there somewhere. I don't know what happened to her, but she's in there." Perhaps Anna sung to herself at night the same chorus: loved one where art thou?

Elsa continued out the door with the melody still playing in her head.


	25. Stars

Stars

Elsa took to the balcony when she finally had enough of party guests coming up to her making nice. She knew they all wanted something, trade rights, a bill passed, someone appointed to some office, and her patience was wearing thin for it.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.

She sighed and rested her hands on the railing of the balcony. She surveyed the fjord, ships were scattered throughout, many of them strung up with lights and she could vaguely make out the pattern of people dancing and laughing. In the town below there was no mistaking the rousing sound of folk music clashing with the classic quartet from the coronation party above. There was laughing and drinking and dancing below and the city was aglow.

"They have their parties and we have ours," said a man's voice from behind her.

Elsa turned, startled, to see a tall man with ginger hair and sideburns to match. He was dressed all in white like some sort of good knight in a fairy tale. Elsa had to admit he was very dashing looking, very handsome, and something about his smile put her at ease.

"Beg pardon?" Elsa said.

"Forgive me Your Majesty," he bowed, "I didn't mean to startle you. I thought the balcony would be unoccupied. Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"Ah…" was all Elsa could say.

She hoped the man would leave now. She severely hoped his presence wouldn't attract more unwanted visitors. Then again it seemed the duke was busy entertaining the crowd with his continued impressions of exotic animals on the dance floor.

"Do you ever wish you could sneak out and join them?" Hans asked, coming to stand beside her watching the townspeople below.

"No," she said.

"I've done it," he laughed. "When I was a young. I used to sneak out on Christmas Eve or Easter night and go pretend to be a commoner and get roaring drunk."

He laughed at the memory. He settled his elbows onto the railing and turned to look at Elsa.

"And you, Majesty?"

"No. I never snuck out."

She kept her answers short. If he sensed her annoyance at his presence it only worked to spur him on because he was smiling.

"Don't tell me you've never been drunk before either…"

Elsa felt her face turn a slight shade of red and she didn't answer.

"You've never….? Oh Majesty, we've got to remedy that immediately," he said, sitting up.

"You're rather impertinent," Elsa said trying her best to add an edge to her voice. But it was hard to be mad at him. There was something soothing about his presence.

"And you should see me after a few pints," he laughed. And against her own wishes Elsa actually smiled at that. She bit her lip trying her best to suck it back in and turned to look at the fjord again. But it was too late he caught her.

"I knew she could smile," he laughed. "You seemed distraught, Majesty, is the coronation high wearing off so quickly?"

"I get one night as queen with nothing to do," Elsa said, "And ten bright and early I'm signing documents, writing letters, and passing laws tomorrow."

"You ought to enjoy tonight while you can," Hans said.

"Easier said than done," Elsa said. She thought of how Anna had angrily stalked off after their few minutes of laughter. For a second it had been like it always had before it all went wrong. And with the gates closing tomorrow, Elsa wasn't sure Anna would ever forgive her.

Hans must have taken note of her demeanor. He cleared his throat, stepped out, straightened himself, placed one hand behind his back and offered one to her.

"Majesty?"

She was at equal forces trying both not to take his hand and take it all at the same time. Perhaps some wine would do to lighten the weight on her chest. And Hans seemed sincere enough. And something behind his eyes echoed Elsa's own desire to escape. Perhaps they could escape together…

"I don't think tonight is a particularly good night for it," she said motioning to the party. But every argument in her head was just a way of preparing herself to go and she knew it.

"Trust me," he said nodding to the party, "Tonight is a perfect night."

She sucked in a breath, sighed, rolled her eyes in defeat, and took his hand.

Elsa was on her second (large) glass of wine on the balcony. Hans had already downed two. She was beginning to feel a buzz in her head, which felt like it was floating on her neck. Her limbs felt more fluid, though they probably didn't look it when she moved. Suddenly everything became funny.

"Twelve older brothers sounds awful," Elsa laughed.

They were standing closer to each other than they ought to be. In the back of her mind Elsa worried that someone would see the queen, downing wine goblets on the balcony with a man. But the more Hans spoke the less she cared.

"I'd give anything to trade you. One younger sister sounds like heaven in comparison," Hans said.

"Not always…" Elsa said, sobering a little. She vaguely wondered how her powers might react to her inebriated state. The storm usually whirling behind her chest felt calmer than usual in truth. But a part of her wondered if that was because of the alcohol or the person she was with.

"You must have gotten away with a lot though," Elsa said, "The youngest always gets away with everything."

"It's easy to get away with things when three of your brothers pretend you're invisible for years," Hans said. Elsa winced. "It's nice to be here, and to be noticed."

Elsa took another sip and she felt Hans eyes on her. She forced herself not to look back at him. She wasn't sure what would happen if she did.

"Do you know your constellations, Majesty?" he said, looking away from her and to the sky.

"Not as well as I should," she admitted.

Then he put an arm around her and Elsa felt a spring of butterflies let loose in her stomach. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently directed her. She felt her heart rate accelerating and she clenched her hands, afraid of what might happen. The gloves were frost-free so far.

"Do you see that one?" he asked.

He leaned into her from behind. His front was nearly flush to her back and his head hovered over her shoulder, their cheeks nearly touching. One of his hands released her shoulder to point at the sky.

"It's the foot of Dvalin, the dwarf," he said.

In all honestly Elsa had absolutely no idea where he was pointing. The sky was littered with stars in every direction. And she was too busy trying to calm down her heartbeat and focus on not letting the wine make her do something incredibly stupid.

"And of course," he said, "farther down is Thiassi's Eyes. Very bright."

He lowered his head down to sit on her shoulder now, a liberty she would never allow if she was not about to go on her third glass of wine. She was breathing fast and shallow. But then she felt hands rest on her waist, as if to calm her. Her better judgment was out the door at this point and she allowed herself to lean into his light grip.

"I like sailing a lot," he hummed, "So I memorized many of the stars, how they change over the seasons. They beautiful."

When his eyes were on her again she was fairly certain that he was no longer talking about the stars. And then she let her head turn to face his. She saw green eyes calmly looking back at her, but there was a seriousness in there. And then he made the mistake of letting his eyes flicker down a few inches to what must have been her lips. She swallowed and held his gaze.

This would be such a mistake. In the morning she'd wake with a pounding head and groan at the memory of what she did, what she let happen. But right now only the stars were watching them. A cloud must have moved in front of the moon because shadows were cast over them, as if nature meant to hide them from the world for a few minutes.

He was leaning in. And she had no intention of moving away or fleeing. He was watching her closely as he got closer and she returned his gaze until, at the last second she let her eyes lightly close. In the dark she felt him only inches away.

But some things are just too good to be true.

"Your Majesty!" a voice called.

They sprung away from each other like rabbits and Hans managed to knock his goblet, still holding wine, right off the railing.

"Ah, Majesty, there you are!"

Of course it was the duke. She looked over to Hans to see him seething at the diminutive man and she stifled a giggle.

"Your Majesty, I was wondering if we might discuss our current trade agreement. Don't tell me you're holding back on me now," he said, feigning hurt.

"I would never," she replied, deadpan.

The duke prattled on and she looked on the other side of the balcony where Hans was making faces at the back of the duke's head. Elsa gave him a look and he shrugged.

"Well, Majesty, I can see you're busy. I apologize for the lost goblet," he said looking over the railing edge.

"I have seven thousand and ninety nine more, I assure you," she said with a smile.

He nodded and came over to bow, holding his hand out, expecting hers. She offered him her gloved hand. He pressed a quick kiss to it and stood. He went to move past her but lingered for a few seconds.

"I should hope to see you later, Majesty," he whispered, "I don't believe you and I were quite finished."

Her cheeks went a darker shade of their already drunken flush. She gave him the smallest nod and he returned to the party and Elsa was forced to return her attention to the duke. She listened to him prattle and looked up at the night sky to distract herself. Somehow the stars seemed to shine less bright with Hans away.


	26. Author's Apology for Sucking

I'M SORRY THAT I SUCK. Today I was extremely busy trying to find a way to leave campus to get home for Thanksgiving with this huge blizzard on the way that I didn't have time to do my last prompt. And that makes me extra super angry because it was the last day and I tripped at the finish line. But I will get to it as soon as I can. I can't promise tomorrow either because I'm driving home (if I don't get stuck here until Thursday).

Also, a bunch of you have requested I keep going with prompts so. I'm gonna open the requests back up. Message me a prompt you'd like to see and I'll keep writing one shots (I know a lot of you don't get Frozen until much later this year and next year).

The only good thing about today is I'm actually going to see Frozen tonight.


	27. Stardust

**Note**: I'm sorry I was late! But here you go! The final prompt. I did my best to make this one kind of an emotional closure to this oneshot collection. I hope that worked out. AND THANKS TO YOUR MANY REQUESTS...I've started "Frozen Solid" a collection of oneshots that I'm continuing. Send me one word prompts (or with pairings and characters, it doesn't just have to be one word) and I'll upload them. And finally...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING, FOR REVIEWING, AND STICKING WITH THIS (even after my eff up). I LOVE YOU ALL.

Stardust

"Stardust," Anna said.

"Sorry?" Elsa responded.

It was late Christmas Eve, actually it was probably early Christmas morning. The high from their Christmas Eve ball hadn't worn off and the two of them had taken to sitting together on Elsa's balcony in the cool winter air, drinking hot cocoa. Kristoff had gotten into a drinking contest with the Russian ambassador. It was currently drooling into the carpet in one of the guest rooms.

"I was looking up at the stars and I just thought—it reminded me of your magic," Anna said. "And I thought, well not quite, so I was fumbling in my head for words to describe it that were like stars and I decided: stardust."

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Fascinating…." Elsa said, "Exactly how much wine did you drink tonight?"

"Oh come on!" Anna groaned, "I was trying to be poetic."

"It was never your strong suit," Elsa said.

"Few things are," Anna mused.

She looked off, back up to the stars that sprinkled the sky. Elsa watched her watching the sky.

"You've got plenty of strong suits I could never hope for Anna," Elsa said. Anna shook her head.

"Oh please, you were always the scholar, the poet, the historian, politician," Anna said.

"Well you can accomplish a lot when you apply yourself."

"Studies were always boring."

Anna shrugged and stood up, carrying her hot cocoa with her over to the railing and leaning her elbows against it. Elsa got up and followed suit, standing next to her for a few minutes before nudging her in the shoulder.

"You're a better dancer than me," Elsa said, "You're better at talking to people, you're better at—"

"Tripping over everything, walking into things, knocking things over," Anna said.

Elsa's brow furrowed. Anna had to have been drinking tonight, her mood had gone from elated to the exact opposite far to fast to be normal. She never was one for holding her wine anyway, the few times Elsa allowed her to drink at parties.

"What's bringing this on?" Elsa asked.

"Just something someone said to me at the party," Anna said.

"Go on."

"It's nothing."

"Clearly it is."

"Leave it Elsa."

"I'm the queen, I demand you tell me."

Elsa meant it as a jest but Anna was not in the mood for _that_ and she turned away in a huff to the other end of the balcony. Elsa rolled her eyes and followed over. Anna turned her head the opposite direction when Elsa came over.

"Tell me who upset you and I'll have their head on the castle gate tomorrow," Elsa smiled. She could tell from the exhale of air that Anna smiled too, though it may have quickly disappeared.

"Do you think…I mean…how to ask this," she mumbled, "When Mama had me, was I born just to…hang around in case…in case….in case something happened to you? Like a….spare?"

"Who called you that?" Elsa's voice was immediately dark.

"I never said anyone called me anything," Anna said.

"Anna," Elsa said, "Who called you 'the spare'?"

"Why? What does it mean?" Anna snapped, quickly turning to face Elsa.

Elsa swallowed. How to explain without upsetting her more? And how to get through the conversation without finding the person who said it to her and impaling them with icicles?

"It means….it's…it's an old saying. A very, very stupid saying," Elsa said.

"Go on," Anna said, mimicking Elsa's tone perfectly.

"The heir and the spare," Elsa sighed, "It's this…idea, that if there are two children in a royal family then…one is born to inherit and the other…is sort of….an…extra, to make sure…should anything happen to the first one….the dynasty continues."

Elsa cringed with every word she got out. And she got quieter too. She didn't dare look Anna in the eyes.

"So I'm your extra button, in case you pop loose," Anna said.

There was no malice in her voice, it was only disappointment. And that hurt worse than anything. Elsa grabbed Anna's shoulders and forced her to turn so they were facing one another.

"Anna, it's a very old idea," Elsa said.

"Then why did they have me? After they had you, why not just stop there," Anna said.

"Because they wanted more children."

"And why didn't they have any after they filled their quota with me?"

Elsa felt stung but it was probably nothing compared to what Anna must be feeling. Elsa knew about the saying, she knew it may very well apply to her and Anna and that many people thought it did, but that didn't mean she agreed. They were always sisters first, princesses second.

"Anna, no one thinks you're a spare," Elsa said.

"Of course they do. You're made of stardust, and I'm just dust floating around, waiting to settle in my place," Anna said.

Elsa tried to hide her face. Anna could be poetic when she truly wanted to be, after all. But Elsa took her sister's hands and pulled her over to the chairs where they'd been sitting. She kept her grip on Anna's wrists, rubbing the top her hand with her thumbs.

"If I'm stardust," Elsa said, "Then you're the sun it came from."

Anna looked at the ground and began gently nudging her toe into the ground.

"So I can recite lines from plays, so I can speak other languages or play music," Elsa said, "That doesn't mean a thing—"

"Elsa don't—"

"No,_ listen_. It doesn't mean a thing because anyone can do that. Anyone can learn those things just like I did. But you have something that can't be taught, that can't be read in a book, or memorized: a heart.," Elsa said.

"Elsa everyone has—"

Elsa placed a finger to Anna's lips.

"Anna, you saw something in me I could never, ever see in myself. You believed in me when no one else, not even I, did. You loved me enough to step between me and an executioner's blade. You died so I could live. Everything in me that's worth having, everything I'm proud of myself for came from you," Elsa said. She never broke eye contact with Anna.

Anna had tears in her eyes but sooner blinked them loose than let herself actually cry. A very, very small smile played on her lips.

"I'm the better queen, yes. I was always better at being a princess," Elsa admitted, "But you…you're the person I aspire to be like Anna. A spare could never do what you do."

Then Anna launched herself at Elsa who instinctively caught her and held her close as possible, crushing ribs together and burying faces in necks and feeling hot tears on skin. Cocoa forgotten, stars watching over, they held each other for a long time. It was quiet. And they were warm together.

And all the while they both thought repeated the same mantra over and over again in their heads: I love you, I love you, I love you.


End file.
